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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Pentax K-S2 front
Portability
64
Imaging
64
Features
82
Overall
71

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2 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
  • Launched July 2009
  • Later Model is Olympus E-P2
Pentax K-S2
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 678g - 123 x 91 x 73mm
  • Launched February 2015
  • Replaced the Pentax K-S1
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and K-S2 (20MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and K-S2 (APS-C) possess different sensor size.

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The E-P1 was revealed 6 years prior to the K-S2 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving in to a full comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-P1 scores vs the K-S2 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Pentax K-S2

 E-P1 K-S2 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-S2 over the Olympus E-P1

 K-S2 E-P1 
LaunchedFebruary 2015July 2009More recent by 67 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Pentax K-S2

 E-P1 K-S2 
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P1 has physical measurements 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-S2 has dimensions of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") along with a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose during that time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-P1 versus the K-S2.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P1 and K-S2 is 86 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is hard to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reading through specs. The photograph below should offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P1 and K-S2.

All in all, both cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-S2 will give you more detail because of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older E-P1 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography info
Pentax K-S2 Portrait photography info
60
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
saves RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
78
you can focus manually
MP count decent (20MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-S2 as a Street photography camera
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no moving screen
72
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
great ISO range (51,200)
more heavy than competitors in class (678g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Sports photography information
Pentax K-S2 Sports photography information
40
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
max fps low (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
not so great battery (300 per charge)
no phase detect auto focus
70
great max shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (20MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
supports phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (5.4 frames/s)
low battery power (410 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Travel photography details
Pentax K-S2 Travel photography details
43
does not have Timelapse mode
not so great battery (300 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
65
weather proof
MP count decent (20MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
low battery power (410 shots)
more heavy than competitors in class (678g)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax K-S2 Landscape photography highlights
60
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (300 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
77
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
no anti aliasing filter
great ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
low battery power (410 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-S2 as a Vlogging camera
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focus
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone support
71
selfie friendly display
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external microphone support
more heavy than competitors in class (678 grams)
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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Pentax K-S2
 Olympus PEN E-P1Pentax K-S2
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-P1 Pentax K-S2
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2009-07-29 2015-02-10
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic V PRIME MII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 6400 51200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/6000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 5.4 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on, flash on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual flash
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 355g (0.78 lbs) 678g (1.49 lbs)
Dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 123 x 91 x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photographs 410 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 D-LI109
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $182 $581