Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-3
81 Imaging
51 Features
70 Overall
58


59 Imaging
65 Features
85 Overall
73
Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
- Launched April 2012
- Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3.2" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 51200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Pentax KAF2 Mount
- 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
- Released April 2014
- Renewed by Pentax K-3 II

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-3 Overview
Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax K-3, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and K-3 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

The E-M5 was announced 23 months prior to the K-3 making them a generation away from each other. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.
Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-M5 scores against the K-3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-3 Gallery
Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Pentax K-3. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Pentax K-3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Pentax K-3
E-M5 | K-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 over the Olympus E-M5
K-3 | E-M5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | April 2014 | ![]() | April 2012 | Newer by 23 months |
Display size | 3.2" | ![]() | 3" | Larger display (+0.2") |
Display resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 610k | Crisper display (+427k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax K-3
E-M5 | K-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | More exact focus | ||
Selfie screen | ![]() | Absent selfie screen |
Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-3 Physical Comparison
If you're going to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 has physical dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 has sizing of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).
Look at the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax K-3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at that time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M5 vs the K-3.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and K-3 is 81 and 59 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-3 Sensor Comparison
Often, it is tough to envision the contrast between sensor dimensions just by looking at a spec sheet. The picture below will provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and K-3.
As you can see, both of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 using its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF tougher and the Pentax K-3 will resolve extra detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics way more aggressively. The more aged E-M5 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-3 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-3 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Pentax K-3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Pentax |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Pentax K-3 |
Type | Advanced Mirrorless | Advanced DSLR |
Launched | 2012-04-30 | 2014-04-10 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Mid-size SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic VI | Prime III |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 24 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 |
Full resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 6016 x 4000 |
Max native ISO | 25600 | 51200 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW data | ||
Min boosted ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 27 |
Cross focus points | - | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Pentax KAF2 |
Available lenses | 107 | 151 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 3 inch | 3.2 inch |
Resolution of screen | 610k dot | 1,037k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Screen technology | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | TFT LCD monitor |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | Optical (pentaprism) |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440k dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | 0.64x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/8000 seconds |
Continuous shooting speed | 9.0 frames/s | 8.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, on, off, red-eye, slow sync, slow sync + red-eye, trailing curtain sync, high speed, wireless, manual |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | 1/250 seconds | 1/180 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) |
GPS | None | Optional |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 425 grams (0.94 lb) | 800 grams (1.76 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 71 | 80 |
DXO Color Depth score | 22.8 | 23.7 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 12.3 | 13.4 |
DXO Low light score | 826 | 1216 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 360 shots | 560 shots |
Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLN-1 | D-LI90 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Storage slots | 1 | Two |
Price at launch | $799 | $639 |