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Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-5

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Pentax K-5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-5 Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-3
Pentax K-5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 12800 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 740g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Introduced December 2010
  • Replaced the Pentax K-7
  • Renewed by Pentax K-5 IIs
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Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-5 Overview

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus E-5 and Pentax K-5, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and K-5 (16MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and K-5 (APS-C) have different sensor measurements.

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The E-5 was unveiled 2 months later than the K-5 so they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before we go into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-5 grades vs the K-5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Pentax K-5

 E-5 K-5 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 over the Olympus E-5

 K-5 E-5 
Display resolution921k920kClearer display (+1k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Pentax K-5

 E-5 K-5 
IntroducedFebruary 2011December 2010Similar age
Focus manually More exact focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Touch display Absent Touch display

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-5 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-5 provides outside measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 has sizing of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).

See the Olympus E-5 and Pentax K-5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-5 vs the K-5.

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-5 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and K-5 is 58 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-5 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is hard to imagine the difference between sensor sizing merely by reading technical specs. The photograph below might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-5 and K-5.

As you can tell, both cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-5 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Pentax K-5 will deliver more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics a bit more aggressively.

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-5 Portrait photography factors
Pentax K-5 Portrait photography factors
60
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
low resolution (12 megapixels)
73
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detect focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-5 Street photography factors
Pentax K-5 Street photography factors
71
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
weather proofing
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-5 Sports photography information
Pentax K-5 Sports photography information
59
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (5.0 frames/s)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
78
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports tracking focus
weather proofing
supports phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-5 Travel photography advice
Pentax K-5 Travel photography advice
56
weather proofing
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
doesn't have Timelapse function
low resolution (12MP)
65
weather proofing
good MP (16MP)
built-in flash
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-5
Landscape photography with Pentax K-5
65
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
weather proofing
has dual storage slots
low resolution (12MP)
doesn't have Timelapse function
78
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-5 Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-5 Vlogging highlights
64
selfie friendly display
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect autofocus
includes microphone jack
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone jack
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Pentax K-5
 Olympus E-5Pentax K-5
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-5 Pentax K-5
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2011-02-03 2010-12-18
Body design Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic V+ Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 11
Cross focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Total lenses 45 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 920 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech HyperCrystal transmissive LCD TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.61x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 18.00 m (at ISO 200) 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 424 (25, 30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 800g (1.76 lb) 740g (1.63 lb)
Physical dimensions 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 82
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 14.1
DXO Low light score 519 1162
Other
Battery life 870 photos 980 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-5 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Dual One
Pricing at release $1,700 $800