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Olympus E-M10 IV vs Pentax 645D Comparison

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Camera to replace
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Olympus E-M10 IV

20 MP | Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Olympus E-M10 IV
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Pentax 645D

40 MP | Medium format (44 x 33 mm) CCD Sensor

Pentax 645D
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Olympus E-M10 IV vs Pentax 645D Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Olympus E-M10 IV, which was introduced in August 2020 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor whereas Pentax 645D, which was introduced in March 2010 is a Pro DSLR camera with a 40.0MP Medium format sensor. As you can see, 645D is 10 years older than E-M10 IV. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Olympus E-M10 IV Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2020-08-04
  • 20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 25600 ( expands to 100 - 25600)
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • 2360k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 8.7fps (15.0fps Electronic) continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 383g. 122 x 84 x 49 mm
  • Replaced Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Compare

Pentax 645D Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2010-03-10
  • 40MP - Medium format CCD Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 200 - 1600 ( expands to 100)
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 1.0fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 1480g. 156 x 117 x 119 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Pentax 645D was replaced by Pentax 645Z. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Pentax 645Z vs Pentax 645D
Pentax 645Z vs Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV over Pentax 645D
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
Live Composite Mode
Yes vs No Excellent help for long-exposure photography
In-built Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max ISO
25.600 vs 1.600 1500% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
121 vs 11 110 more focus points
LCD Resolution
1.040k dots vs 921k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Viewfinder Coverage
100% vs 98% More accurate viewfinder
Continuous Shooting
15.0fps vs 1.0fps 14 fps faster
Weight
383 g vs 1480 g 1097 g lighter
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs None Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing Range
±5 EV vs ±2 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Selfie & Vlogger LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Focus Bracketing
Yes vs No Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs none Read/Write in High Speeds
CHECK E-M10 IV PRICE


Reasons to choose Pentax 645D over Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV
Viewfinder Magnif.
0.85x vs 0.62x Larger Viewfinder
Sensor Resolution
40 MP vs 20 MP 100% more pixels
Battery Life
800 shots vs 360 shots 440 more frames with a single charge
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Sensor Pixel Area
36.74µm2 vs 11.22µm2 227% larger pixel area
Top LCD
Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
CHECK 645D PRICE

Common Strengths of Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Max Resolution
20 MP vs 40 MP Bigger prints and more details
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs Yes creative shooting
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Dual-axis Electronic Level
Yes vs Yes Level the camera easily in two axis
Common Weaknesses of Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D
Olympus E-M10 IV vs Pentax 645D: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Olympus E-M10 IV has external dimensions of 122 x 84 x 49 mm (4.8 x 3.31 x 1.93″) and weighs 383 g (0.84 lb / 13.51 oz) (including batteries). Pentax 645D has external dimensions of 156 x 117 x 119 mm (6.14 x 4.61 x 4.69″) and weighs 1480 g (3.26 lb / 52.21 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D. Olympus E-M10 IV is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 34mm narrower, 33mm shorter and 70mm thinner than Pentax 645D.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Pentax 645D Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D.
Olympus E-M10 IV vs Pentax 645D Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus E-M10 IV is significantly lighter (1097g ) than the Pentax 645D which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Pentax 645D has a Medium format sensor and Olympus E-M10 IV has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-M10 IV's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Pentax 645D lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

E-M10 IV
645D
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

E-M10 IV
645D
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of 645D, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to E-M10 IV.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Olympus E-M10 IV features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Pentax 645D has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to E-M10 IV.
Olympus E-M10 IV vs Pentax 645D: Sensor Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VIII processor. On the other hand, Pentax 645D has a 40.0MP Medium format (44 x 33 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Prime II processor.

Pentax 645D's sensor provides 20MP more than Olympus E-M10 IV's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Pentax 645D's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the E-M10 IV and 645D sensor size comparison.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Pentax 645D Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D Cameras


As seen above, Pentax 645D has a 6.4x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-M10 IV. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Pentax 645D Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Olympus E-M10 IV has an advantage over Pentax 645D. There are 120 lenses for Olympus E-M10 IV's Micro Four Thirds mount, on the other hand there are only 6 lenses for Pentax 645D's Pentax 645AF2 lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-M10 IV has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization (IS) which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. E-M10 IV's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 4.5-stops according to CIPA standards.
On the other hand, Pentax 645D doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 2 lenses for Pentax 645AF2 mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Olympus E-M10 IV Lenses # of Pentax 645D Lenses
Standard Zoom 18 1
Standard Prime 15 1
Wideangle Zoom 6 1
Wideangle Prime 32 2
Telephoto Zoom 19 n/a
Telephoto Prime 11 n/a
SuperZoom 8 n/a
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 5 n/a
Macro Prime 4 1
Perspective Control Prime n/a n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 n/a
TOTAL 120 6

What types of Photography are Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Olympus E-M10 IV for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Pentax 645D for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 40.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Pentax 645D for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Sports Photography

GOOD

Pentax 645D for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.7fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
121 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 800 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Daily Photography

GOOD

Pentax 645D for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
383g
Body Thickness 49mm
Read the details
Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1480g
Body Thickness 119mm
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax 645D for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 40.0MP
Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Pentax 645D: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Olympus E-M10 IV and Pentax 645D scores compare:

Olympus E-M10 IV
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #77 out of 109 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #139 out of 1257 in all Cameras
Pentax 645D
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #14 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #364 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Olympus E-M10 IV has a higher Overall Score than the Pentax 645D. It also has more features, more compact body and offers higher value for the money. But there is one area that E-M10 IV trails behind the 645D: Imaging.
If image quality is the most important aspect in a camera, choose the Pentax 645D. If not, we recommend the Olympus E-M10 IV.

Olympus E-M10 IV
Olympus E-M10 IV
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Pentax 645D
Pentax 645D
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Pentax 645D vs Olympus E-M10 IV Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV Pentax 645D
Brand Olympus Pentax
Announced 2020-08-04 2010-03-10
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CCD
Size Four Thirds Medium format
Dimensions 17.4 x 13 mm 44 x 33 mm
Area 226.20mm2 1452.00mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 40 megapixels
Max Resolution 5184 x 3888 7264 x 5440
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 1,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 25600 ISO -
Min Native Light sensitivity 200 ISO 200 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 121 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Number of Available Lenses 120 6
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 1,040k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution 2,360k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 98%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.62x 0.85x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter 1/16000s n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 7.20 m (at ISO 200) no built-in flash
Max Flash Sync 1/250s 1/125s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 8.7 fps 1.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 None
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 383g 1480g
Dimensions 122 x 84 x 49mm 156 x 117 x 119mm
Battery Life 360 shots 800 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 82
DxO Color Depth not tested 24.6
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.6
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1262
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