Olympus E-1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

The following is a extensive analysis of the Olympus E-1 and Pentax K-5 IIs, former is a Pro DSLR while the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and K-5 IIs (16MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and K-5 IIs (APS-C) offer different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-1 was launched 10 years prior to the K-5 IIs which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-1 grades against the K-5 IIs with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-1 & Pentax K-5 IIs. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Pentax K-5 IIs Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-1 enjoys outer measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 IIs has specifications of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-1 and Pentax K-5 IIs in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-1 and the K-5 IIs.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and K-5 IIs is 59 and 60 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions just by checking out technical specs. The image underneath will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-1 and K-5 IIs.

As you have seen, each of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-1 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF harder and the Pentax K-5 IIs will provide extra detail utilizing its extra 11 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics way more aggressively. The more aged E-1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.