Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q-S1
81 Imaging
51 Features
70 Overall
58


92 Imaging
37 Features
54 Overall
43
Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q-S1 Key Specs
(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
- Launched April 2012
- Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Pentax Q Mount
- 203g - 105 x 58 x 34mm
- Announced August 2014

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q-S1 Overview
Here, we are analyzing the Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q-S1, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and Q-S1 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and Q-S1 (1/1.7") posses totally different sensor size.

The E-M5 was introduced 3 years prior to the Q-S1 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax Q-S1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before diving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-M5 matches up vs the Q-S1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q-S1 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Pentax Q-S1. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Pentax Q-S1 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Pentax Q-S1
E-M5 | Q-S1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display resolution | 610k | ![]() | 460k | Crisper display (+150k dot) |
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Pentax Q-S1 over the Olympus E-M5
Q-S1 | E-M5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | August 2014 | ![]() | April 2012 | Newer by 27 months |
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax Q-S1
E-M5 | Q-S1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More precise focus | ||
Display size | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Same display size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither has selfie screen |
Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q-S1 Physical Comparison
For those who are going to travel with your camera, you will have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 has outside measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Pentax Q-S1 has measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 203 grams (0.45 lbs).
See the Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q-S1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M5 versus the Q-S1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and Q-S1 is 81 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q-S1 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, its hard to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions just by reading technical specs. The picture here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and Q-S1.
As you have seen, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 having a larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-M5 will offer more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-M5 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q-S1 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q-S1 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Pentax Q-S1 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Pentax |
Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Pentax Q-S1 |
Type | Advanced Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Launched | 2012-04-30 | 2014-08-04 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic VI | Q Engine |
Sensor type | CMOS | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/1.7" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 7.44 x 5.58mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 41.5mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16MP | 12MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4000 x 3000 |
Highest native ISO | 25600 | 12800 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW images | ||
Min boosted ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Total focus points | 35 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Pentax Q |
Total lenses | 107 | 8 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 4.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 610k dot | 460k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Display tech | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440k dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/8000s |
Continuous shooting speed | 9.0 frames per sec | 5.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 4.90 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/250s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (30,25, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30, 25, 24p), 640 x 480 (30, 25, 24p) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Microphone jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
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 | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 425 grams (0.94 lb) | 203 grams (0.45 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 105 x 58 x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") |
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 shots | 250 shots |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLN-1 | D-LI68 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC card |
Storage slots | One | One |
Pricing at launch | $799 | $250 |