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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Pentax K-5 IIs front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
83
Overall
68

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Revealed July 2009
  • Replacement is Olympus E-P2
Pentax K-5 IIs
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Introduced June 2013
  • Old Model is Pentax K-5
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-P1 versus Pentax K-5 IIs, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and K-5 IIs (16MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and K-5 IIs (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-P1 was manufactured 4 years prior to the K-5 IIs which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a short view of how the E-P1 matches up against the K-5 IIs with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Pentax K-5 IIs

 E-P1 K-5 IIs 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 IIs over the Olympus E-P1

 K-5 IIs E-P1 
IntroducedJune 2013July 2009More modern by 46 months
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Pentax K-5 IIs

 E-P1 K-5 IIs 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither offers Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry around your camera, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P1 offers physical dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 IIs has sizing of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P1 versus Pentax K-5 IIs in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-P1 against the K-5 IIs.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and K-5 IIs is 86 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Sensor Comparison

Generally, its hard to envision the gap between sensor sizes simply by reviewing specs. The picture below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P1 and K-5 IIs.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-P1 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-5 IIs will offer more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-P1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-5 IIs as a Portrait photography camera
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
exports RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
74
focusing manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography factors
Pentax K-5 IIs Street photography factors
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no moving screen
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
environment proof
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-5 IIs as a Sports photography camera
40
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
low MP (12MP)
bad battery power (300 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
79
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proof
supports phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-P1
Travel photography with Pentax K-5 IIs
43
missing Timelapse mode
bad battery power (300 shots)
low MP (12MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
65
environment proof
decent MP (16MP)
flash built-in
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Landscape photography information
Pentax K-5 IIs Landscape photography information
60
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
low MP (12MP)
bad battery power (300 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
79
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
does not have low pass filter
supports RAW files
environment proof
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging info
Pentax K-5 IIs Vlogging info
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focus
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone port
33
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external mic socket
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-5 IIs Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Pentax K-5 IIs
 Olympus PEN E-P1Pentax K-5 IIs
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-P1 Pentax K-5 IIs
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2009-07-29 2013-06-04
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic V Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 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 100 100
RAW photos
Minimum enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 11 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Amount of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per sec 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported 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 480 (25, 30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 355g (0.78 lb) 760g (1.68 lb)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 82
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 23.9
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 14.1
DXO Low light score 536 1208
Other
Battery life 300 shots 980 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $182 $749