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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax 645D

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Pentax 645D front
Portability
50
Imaging
76
Features
52
Overall
66

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax 645D Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Launched July 2009
  • Renewed by Olympus E-P2
Pentax 645D
(Full Review)
  • 40MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 1600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • No Video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1480g - 156 x 117 x 119mm
  • Released March 2010
  • New Model is Pentax 645Z
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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax 645D Overview

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus E-P1 versus Pentax 645D, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Pro DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and 645D (40MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and 645D (Medium format) use different sensor sizing.

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The E-P1 was introduced 7 months before the 645D and they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax 645D being a Large SLR camera.

Before getting in to a more detailed comparison, below is a short view of how the E-P1 grades against the 645D in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Pentax 645D

 E-P1 645D 

Reasons to pick Pentax 645D over the Olympus E-P1

 645D E-P1 
ReleasedMarch 2010July 2009Fresher by 7 months
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Pentax 645D

 E-P1 645D 
Manual focus More precise focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax 645D Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry your camera, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P1 features outer measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") with a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Pentax 645D has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7") having a weight of 1480 grams (3.26 lbs).

See the Olympus E-P1 versus Pentax 645D in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-P1 vs the 645D.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax 645D size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P1 and 645D is 86 and 50 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax 645D top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax 645D Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizing only by reading a spec sheet. The graphic below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P1 and 645D.

Clearly, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-P1 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Pentax 645D will offer extra detail using its extra 28 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older E-P1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax 645D sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax 645D Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax 645D Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography factors
Pentax 645D Portrait photography factors
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
77
focusing manually
resolution is great (40MP)
sensor size is great (Medium format)
saves RAW formats
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography advice
Pentax 645D Street photography advice
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen does not articulate
58
sensor size is great (Medium format)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax 645D as a Sports photography camera
40
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12MP)
terrible battery life (300 shots)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
63
resolution is great (40MP)
sensor size is great (Medium format)
weather sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview
low frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
bad battery (800 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Travel photography details
Pentax 645D Travel photography details
43
lack of Timelapse mode
terrible battery life (300 CIPA)
low megapixels (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
55
weather sealing
resolution is great (40 megapixels)
bad battery (800 per charge)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax 645D as a Landscape photography camera
60
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
terrible battery life (300 shots)
lack of Timelapse mode
72
focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
resolution is great (40MP)
sensor size is great (Medium format)
no low pass filter
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
has double storage slots
no liveview
no image stabilization
bad battery (800 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging info
Pentax 645D Vlogging info
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect autofocus
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of microphone support
9
can't shoot video
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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax 645D Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Pentax 645D
 Olympus PEN E-P1Pentax 645D
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-P1 Pentax 645D
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro DSLR
Launched 2009-07-29 2010-03-10
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic V Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 40MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 7264 x 5440
Max native ISO 6400 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 11 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Number of lenses 107 6
Crop factor 2.1 0.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle and with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180 secs 1/125 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format Motion JPEG -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 355g (0.78 lb) 1480g (3.26 lb)
Dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 156 x 117 x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 82
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 24.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 12.6
DXO Low light rating 536 1262
Other
Battery life 300 shots 800 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC
Storage slots One Dual
Retail pricing $182 $4,000