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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax RS1500

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Pentax Optio RS1500 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
30
Overall
34

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax RS1500 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
  • Announced July 2009
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-P2
Pentax RS1500
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Released March 2011
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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax RS1500 Overview

Below is a extended review of the Olympus E-P1 and Pentax RS1500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-P1 (12MP) and the RS1500 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and RS1500 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P1 was launched 19 months earlier than the RS1500 which makes them a generation apart from each other. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-P1 grades against the RS1500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Pentax RS1500

 E-P1 RS1500 
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Olympus E-P1

 RS1500 E-P1 
ReleasedMarch 2011July 2009More recent by 19 months

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Pentax RS1500

 E-P1 RS1500 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax RS1500 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to lug around your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P1 offers outside dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Pentax RS1500 has sizing of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P1 and Pentax RS1500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the E-P1 against the RS1500.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax RS1500 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P1 and RS1500 is 86 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax RS1500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax RS1500 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's difficult to see the contrast in sensor measurements just by seeing specs. The photograph here might give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P1 and RS1500.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Pentax RS1500 will provide greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The older E-P1 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax RS1500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography info
Pentax RS1500 Portrait photography info
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focus
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
35
has manual focus
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography advice
Pentax RS1500 Street photography advice
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no articulating screen
54
environment proof
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax RS1500 as a Sports photography camera
40
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12MP)
not so great battery pack (300 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
37
resolution is good (14MP)
has tracking autofocus
environment proof
slow fps (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-P1
Travel photography with Pentax RS1500
43
no Time Lapse mode
not so great battery pack (300 CIPA)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
67
environment proof
resolution is good (14MP)
has built in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
no Timelapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax RS1500 Landscape photography highlights
60
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
not so great battery pack (300 shots)
no Time Lapse mode
40
has manual focus
fairly wide (28mm)
resolution is good (14MP)
environment proof
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not available
no image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-P1
Vlogging with Pentax RS1500
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focus
does not offer selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic support
25
fairly wide (28mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone support
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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax RS1500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Pentax RS1500
 Olympus PEN E-P1Pentax Optio RS1500
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-P1 Pentax Optio RS1500
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2009-07-29 2011-03-16
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic V -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1500 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
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) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 355 gr (0.78 pounds) 157 gr (0.35 pounds)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 pictures 260 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $182 $150