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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q10

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Pentax Q10 front
Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
56
Overall
44

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q10 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
  • Launched April 2012
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 II
Pentax Q10
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • 200g - 102 x 58 x 34mm
  • Announced September 2012
  • Old Model is Pentax Q
  • Later Model is Pentax Q7
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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q10 Overview

Following is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax Q10, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and Q10 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and Q10 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 was manufactured 4 months earlier than the Q10 so they are of a similar age. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax Q10 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight to a full comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-M5 grades against the Q10 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Pentax Q10

 E-M5 Q10 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution610k460kCrisper screen (+150k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax Q10 over the Olympus E-M5

 Q10 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax Q10

 E-M5 Q10 
AnnouncedApril 2012September 2012Similar age
Manually focus More precise focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q10 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera, you will need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 has got physical dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Pentax Q10 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M5 and Pentax Q10 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-M5 compared to the Q10.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q10 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and Q10 is 81 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q10 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q10 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes purely by looking at specifications. The image underneath should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and Q10.

Plainly, both the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh easier and the Olympus E-M5 will give extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots way more aggressively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q10 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q10 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5
Portrait photography with Pentax Q10
71
manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
48
manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
supports face detect focus
delivers RAW files
low MP (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography advice
Pentax Q10 Street photography advice
82
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
supports touch focus
weather sealing
very good high ISO (25,600)
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition in class (200g)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography highlights
Pentax Q10 Sports photography highlights
67
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather sealing
has no phase detect AF
36
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (5.0 fps)
low MP (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery life (270 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography features
Pentax Q10 Travel photography features
66
weather sealing
supports touch focus
good MP (16MP)
no Timelapse mode
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
60
lighter than competition in class (200 grams)
flash built-in
not so great battery life (270 CIPA)
low MP (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography information
Pentax Q10 Landscape photography information
73
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
no Timelapse mode
54
manual focus
change lenses (Pentax Q mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
delivers RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery life (270 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging details
Pentax Q10 Vlogging details
34
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
no external microphone port
35
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (200g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing mic port
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Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax Q10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Pentax Q10
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Pentax Q10
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Pentax Q10
Type Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2012-04-30 2012-09-10
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax Q
Available lenses 107 8
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 610k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 9.0 frames per sec 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 7.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) 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
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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 fps), 1280 x 720p (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425 grams (0.94 lb) 200 grams (0.44 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 102 x 58 x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 71 49
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 21.1
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 10.9
DXO Low light score 826 183
Other
Battery life 360 images 270 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Price at release $799 $350