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Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II 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
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PM2
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Superseded the Pentax K-3
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

The following is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) feature different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PM1 was brought out 4 years before the K-3 II which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-PM1 scores versus the K-3 II with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Pentax K-3 II

 E-PM1 K-3 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Olympus E-PM1

 K-3 II E-PM1 
RevealedApril 2015November 2011Newer by 41 months
Display dimension3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k460kSharper display (+577k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Pentax K-3 II

 E-PM1 K-3 II 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

If you're planning to travel with your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PM1 comes with outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 II has proportions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PM1 versus the K-3 II.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM1 and K-3 II is 89 and 59 respectively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Often, its difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by going through specs. The image underneath may offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PM1 and K-3 II.

As you can plainly see, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PM1 due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Pentax K-3 II will show greater detail having its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-PM1 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Portrait photography factors
Pentax K-3 II Portrait photography factors
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
79
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Street photography highlights
Pentax K-3 II Street photography highlights
75
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is fixed
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
great ISO range (51,200)
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Sports photography camera
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
low MP (12MP)
has no phase detect AF
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
terrible battery power (720 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Travel photography camera
45
lack of Time Lapse recording
low MP (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly display
56
environment proof
megapixel count good (24MP)
terrible battery power (720 per charge)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography highlights
65
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
lack of Time Lapse recording
78
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
good sized screen (3.2 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
does not have anti aliasing filter
great ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
2 card slots
terrible battery power (720 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-3 II Vlogging highlights
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not posses selfie friendly display
lack of mic socket
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external mic support
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Pentax K-3 II
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM1 Pentax K-3 II
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2011-11-23 2015-04-23
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI Prime III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 6016 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 12800 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3.2"
Resolution of display 460k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 6.0 frames per second 8.3 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
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) Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, 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 (available with dedicated external flash)
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/180 secs
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) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 265g (0.58 lbs) 800g (1.76 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 80
DXO Color Depth rating 21.0 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 13.6
DXO Low light rating 499 1106
Other
Battery life 330 photos 720 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One Two
Retail pricing $499 $829