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Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs

Olympus E-PM1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Revealed November 2011
  • New Model is Olympus E-PM2
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Announced April 2014
  • Replaced the Pentax 645D
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax 645Z Overview

The following is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus E-PM1 versus Pentax 645Z, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Pro DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and 645Z (Medium format) come with different sensor sizing.

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The E-PM1 was brought out 3 years earlier than the 645Z which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the E-PM1 scores versus the 645Z for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Pentax 645Z

 E-PM1 645Z 

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Olympus E-PM1

 645Z E-PM1 
AnnouncedApril 2014November 2011Newer by 29 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k460kSharper display (+577k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Pentax 645Z

 E-PM1 645Z 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PM1 has outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) while the Pentax 645Z has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") accompanied by a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PM1 versus Pentax 645Z in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PM1 vs the 645Z.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-PM1 and 645Z is 89 and 49 respectively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

Often, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions merely by seeing a spec sheet. The pic underneath might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PM1 and 645Z.

Clearly, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PM1 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax 645Z will produce greater detail having its extra 39 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged E-PM1 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Portrait photography info
Pentax 645Z Portrait photography info
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
88
manual focus
MP count fantastic (51 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
includes face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PM1
Street photography with Pentax 645Z
75
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is fixed
63
screen tilts
sensor size is large (Medium format)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
good ISO range (204,800)
no image stabilization
more heavy than average in class (1,550g)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax 645Z as a Sports photography camera
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (6.0 fps)
low MP (12 megapixels)
has no phase detect autofocus
71
MP count fantastic (51 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
terrible battery (650 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PM1
Travel photography with Pentax 645Z
45
no Timelapse recording
low MP (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
51
weather sealing
MP count fantastic (51 megapixels)
terrible battery (650 per charge)
more heavy than average in class (1,550 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Landscape photography factors
Pentax 645Z Landscape photography factors
65
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
no Timelapse recording
78
manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
nice screen size (3.2")
MP count fantastic (51 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
does not have anti-alias filter
good ISO range (204,800)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
has dual storage slots
no image stabilization
terrible battery (650 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Vlogging highlights
Pentax 645Z Vlogging highlights
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
no external microphone socket
27
includes face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external microphone jack
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
more heavy than average in class (1,550 grams)
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Pentax 645Z
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Pentax 645Z
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM1 Pentax 645Z
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro DSLR
Revealed 2011-11-23 2014-04-15
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI PRIME III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 51MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 8256 x 6192
Highest native ISO 12800 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 27
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Amount of lenses 107 6
Crop factor 2.1 0.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 3.2 inches
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 6.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Flash On, Flash On+Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync+Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, contrast-control-sync, high-speed sync, wireless sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160s 1/125s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported 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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 265 grams (0.58 pounds) 1550 grams (3.42 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 101
DXO Color Depth rating 21.0 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 14.7
DXO Low light rating 499 4505
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 650 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Storage slots 1 Dual
Pricing at launch $499 $5,024