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Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
63
Overall
56
Olympus PEN E-PM2 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Olympus E-PM2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Released May 2013
  • Older Model is Olympus E-PM1
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Released April 2015
  • Earlier Model is Pentax K-3
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Below is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the E-PM2 (16MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the E-PM2 (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

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The E-PM2 was manufactured 23 months before the K-3 II which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-PM2 matches up vs the K-3 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM2 over the Pentax K-3 II

 E-PM2 K-3 II 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Olympus E-PM2

 K-3 II E-PM2 
ReleasedApril 2015May 2013More recent by 23 months
Screen sizing3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PM2 and Pentax K-3 II

 E-PM2 K-3 II 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

If you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PM2 provides external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 II has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PM2 and the K-3 II.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM2 and K-3 II is 89 and 59 respectively.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's hard to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements purely by looking at a spec sheet. The graphic underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PM2 and K-3 II.

As you can see, each of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PM2 due to its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-3 II will give greater detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The older E-PM2 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Portrait photography information
Pentax K-3 II Portrait photography information
71
focusing manually
good megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
79
manual focus
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PM2
Street photography with Pentax K-3 II
79
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
comes with focus via touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
screen is fixed
69
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
great high ISO (51,200)
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Sports photography information
Pentax K-3 II Sports photography information
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
has no phase detect autofocus
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proof
supports phase detect AF
terrible battery pack (720 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Travel photography information
Pentax K-3 II Travel photography information
66
comes with focus via touch
good megapixels (16MP)
does not have Timelapse mode
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
56
environment proof
MP count decent (24MP)
terrible battery pack (720 per charge)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Landscape photography factors
Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography factors
74
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
78
manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3.2 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
great high ISO (51,200)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
2 card slots
terrible battery pack (720 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Vlogging factors
Pentax K-3 II Vlogging factors
36
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
does not have external microphone socket
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external microphone support
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM2 and Pentax K-3 II
 Olympus PEN E-PM2Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM2 Pentax K-3 II
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Released 2013-05-21 2015-04-23
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Prime III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 6016 x 4000
Max native ISO 25600 51200
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 35 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Amount of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3.2"
Screen resolution 460k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames/s 8.3 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) no built-in flash
Flash modes 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)
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 269 gr (0.59 pounds) 800 gr (1.76 pounds)
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 Overall rating 72 80
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.2 13.6
DXO Low light rating 932 1106
Other
Battery life 360 photographs 720 photographs
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 shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 Two
Price at release $448 $829