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Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Pentax Q front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
47
Overall
39

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Launched October 2019
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M5 II
  • Successor is OM System OM-5
Pentax Q
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • 180g - 98 x 57 x 31mm
  • Released June 2011
  • Updated by Pentax Q10
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and Q (12MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and Q (1/2.3") feature different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 III was launched 8 years after the Q which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax Q being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-M5 III grades vs the Q with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Pentax Q

 E-M5 III Q 
ReleasedOctober 2019June 2011More modern by 102 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k460kCrisper screen (+580k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax Q over the Olympus E-M5 III

 Q E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Pentax Q

 E-M5 III Q 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry around your camera, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 III features outside dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Pentax Q has dimensions of 98mm x 57mm x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") with a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the E-M5 III versus the Q.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 III and Q is 80 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizes just by going over technical specs. The pic below will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 III and Q.

As you can tell, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 III because of its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-M5 III will deliver more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The newer E-M5 III should have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography advice
Pentax Q Portrait photography advice
77
has manual focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW files
45
you can focus manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000 seconds)
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Street photography info
Pentax Q Street photography info
83
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
supports touch focus
weather proof
great high ISO (25,600)
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (180 grams)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography factors
Pentax Q Sports photography factors
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (30.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proof
supports phase detect AF
terrible battery power (310 CIPA)
31
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports tracking focus
low frames per second (2.0 frames/s)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery life (230 shots)
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Travel photography with Pentax Q
77
weather proof
connects via bluetooth
supports touch focus
resolution is good (20MP)
selfie friendly screen
terrible battery power (310 per charge)
57
lighter than competition in class (180g)
has built in flash
no Timelapse recording
low battery life (230 shots)
MP count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Landscape photography factors
Pentax Q Landscape photography factors
77
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proof
terrible battery power (310 CIPA)
51
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Pentax Q mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery life (230 shots)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5 III
Vlogging with Pentax Q
84
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
high res video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
comes with external microphone support
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (180g)
screen is not selfie friendly
no microphone jack
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax Q Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Pentax Q
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIPentax Q
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Pentax Q
Category Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2019-10-17 2011-06-23
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VIII -
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 125
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 121 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax Q
Total lenses 107 8
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,040 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shutter speed 30.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.60 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Trailing-curtain sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250s 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720p (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 414 grams (0.91 lb) 180 grams (0.40 lb)
Dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 98 x 57 x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 47
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.2
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 189
Other
Battery life 310 shots 230 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $1,199 $695