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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax P70

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Pentax Optio P70 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
20
Overall
28

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax P70 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Introduced April 2012
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 II
Pentax P70
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 155g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Revealed March 2009
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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax P70 Overview

Here, we are evaluating the Olympus E-M5 versus Pentax P70, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and P70 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and P70 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 was revealed 3 years later than the P70 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax P70 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-M5 grades versus the P70 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Pentax P70

 E-M5 P70 
RevealedApril 2012March 2009Fresher by 39 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution610k230kClearer display (+380k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax P70 over the Olympus E-M5

 P70 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax P70

 E-M5 P70 
Manually focus More exact focus
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax P70 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 comes with external measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Pentax P70 has sizing of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M5 versus Pentax P70 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-M5 compared to the P70.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax P70 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and P70 is 81 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax P70 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax P70 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be hard to envision the gap between sensor sizing simply by reviewing specs. The photograph here might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and P70.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 using its larger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M5 will offer more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics way more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax P70 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax P70 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax P70 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography details
Pentax P70 Portrait photography details
71
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
27
focusing manually
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Street photography camera
Pentax P70 as a Street photography camera
82
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
supports touch to focus
environment sealing
good ISO range (25,600)
47
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
more heavy than average in class (155 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography information
Pentax P70 Sports photography information
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
environment sealing
lack of phase detect AF
17
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,000s)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5
Travel photography with Pentax P70
66
environment sealing
supports touch to focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
no Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
56
has built in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
more heavy than average in class (155g)
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography advice
Pentax P70 Landscape photography advice
73
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
no Time Lapse recording
32
focusing manually
fairly wide (28mm)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not possible
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5
Vlogging with Pentax P70
34
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
no mic jack
25
fairly wide (28mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone socket
more heavy than average in class (155 grams)
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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax P70 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Pentax P70
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Pentax Optio P70
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Pentax Optio P70
Category Advanced Mirrorless Ultracompact
Introduced 2012-04-30 2009-03-02
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 64
RAW support
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-5.0
Macro focusing range - 10cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 610 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 9.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.60 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) -
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (15 fps), 848 x 480 (15 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425g (0.94 lbs) 155g (0.34 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 images -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $799 $200