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Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax H90

Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
63
Overall
56
Olympus PEN E-PM2 front
 
Pentax Optio H90 front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
24
Overall
30

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax H90 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • 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 H90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 153g - 101 x 65 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2010
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax H90 Overview

In this article, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-PM2 and Pentax H90, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PM2 (16MP) and H90 (12MP) and the E-PM2 (Four Thirds) and H90 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor size.

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The E-PM2 was revealed 3 years later than the H90 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax H90 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-PM2 grades against the H90 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM2 over the Pentax H90

 E-PM2 H90 
RevealedMay 2013January 2010More recent by 41 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax H90 over the Olympus E-PM2

 H90 E-PM2 

Common features in the Olympus E-PM2 and Pentax H90

 E-PM2 H90 
Manual focus More precise focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax H90 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PM2 provides outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Pentax H90 has dimensions of 101mm x 65mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") with a weight of 153 grams (0.34 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PM2 and Pentax H90 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PM2 compared to the H90.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax H90 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM2 and H90 is 89 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax H90 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax H90 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's hard to see the difference in sensor measurements just by looking through technical specs. The visual underneath will give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PM2 and H90.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PM2 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PM2 will provide you with greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots far more aggressively. The more recent E-PM2 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax H90 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax H90 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax H90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PM2
Portrait photography with Pentax H90
71
focusing manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
27
focusing manually
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Street photography info
Pentax H90 Street photography info
79
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
includes touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
no articulating screen
56
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Sports photography info
Pentax H90 Sports photography info
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
no phase detect autofocus
31
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Travel photography information
Pentax H90 Travel photography information
66
includes touch to focus
MP count good (16 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
57
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
resolution not great (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax H90 as a Landscape photography camera
74
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
missing Time Lapse function
36
focusing manually
quite wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7 inch)
manual mode not possible
resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Vlogging advice
Pentax H90 Vlogging advice
36
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
missing mic support
28
quite wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external mic support
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax H90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM2 and Pentax H90
 Olympus PEN E-PM2Pentax Optio H90
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM2 Pentax Optio H90
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2013-05-21 2010-01-25
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Prime
Sensor type CMOS CCD
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 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focusing range - 10cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 8.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 4.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 269 gr (0.59 lbs) 153 gr (0.34 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 101 x 65 x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 932 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 shots -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $448 $150