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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-5

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Pentax K-5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-5 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(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
  • Announced April 2012
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 II
Pentax K-5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800 (Push to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 740g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Revealed December 2010
  • Replaced the Pentax K-7
  • Renewed by Pentax K-5 IIs
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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-5 Overview

Below, we will be matching up the Olympus E-M5 versus Pentax K-5, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the K-5 (16MP) is pretty well matched but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and K-5 (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 was revealed 17 months after the K-5 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-M5 grades against the K-5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Pentax K-5

 E-M5 K-5 
RevealedApril 2012December 2010More modern by 17 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 over the Olympus E-M5

 K-5 E-M5 
Screen resolution921k610kSharper screen (+311k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax K-5

 E-M5 K-5 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-5 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 enjoys outer measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 has proportions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 versus Pentax K-5 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-M5 vs the K-5.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-5 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and K-5 is 81 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-5 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its tough to picture the difference between sensor sizes simply by looking at a spec sheet. The pic underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and K-5.

As you can see, each of the cameras posses the exact same MP albeit different sensor sizes. The E-M5 comes with the tinier sensor which should make getting shallow depth of field tougher. The fresher E-M5 should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography advice
Pentax K-5 Portrait photography advice
71
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
saves RAW formats
73
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography features
Pentax K-5 Street photography features
82
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
features touch to focus
weather proof
very good ISO range (25,600)
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-5 as a Sports photography camera
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
weather proof
lacks phase detect auto focus
78
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking focus
environment proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-5 as a Travel photography camera
66
weather proof
features touch to focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
65
environment proofing
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography info
Pentax K-5 Landscape photography info
73
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
78
focusing manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-5 as a Vlogging camera
34
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have mic port
33
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have microphone jack
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Pentax K-5
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Pentax K-5
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Pentax K-5
Category Advanced Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Announced 2012-04-30 2010-12-18
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 610k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 9.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 424 (25, 30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425g (0.94 pounds) 740g (1.63 pounds)
Dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 71 82
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 14.1
DXO Low light rating 826 1162
Other
Battery life 360 photos 980 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID 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 SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $799 $800