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Olympus E-P2 vs Pentax MX-1

Portability
86 Imaging
47 Features
42 Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P2 front
 
Pentax MX-1 front
Portability
84 Imaging
37 Features
60 Overall
46

Olympus E-P2 vs Pentax MX-1 Key Specs

Olympus E-P2
(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
  • Introduced April 2010
  • Replaced the Olympus E-P1
  • Successor is Olympus E-P3
Pentax MX-1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
  • Introduced July 2013
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-P2 vs Pentax MX-1 Overview

Below, we are looking at the Olympus E-P2 versus Pentax MX-1, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-P2 (12MP) and the MX-1 (12MP) is fairly close but the E-P2 (Four Thirds) and MX-1 (1/1.7") come with different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P2 was unveiled 4 years earlier than the MX-1 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax MX-1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a complete comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-P2 scores against the MX-1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P2 over the Pentax MX-1

          

          

            
 E-P2 MX-1 
          

        


        

          

            
Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Olympus E-P2

          

          

            
 MX-1 E-P2 
IntroducedJuly 2013April 2010Newer by 38 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution920k230kCrisper display (+690k dot)
          

        


        

          

            
Common features in the Olympus E-P2 and Pentax MX-1

          

          

            
 E-P2 MX-1 
Focus manually  More precise focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Selfie screen  Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display  Missing Touch friendly display
          

        

        

	
	
	
	

        

          

            
Olympus E-P2 vs Pentax MX-1 Physical Comparison

          

          

            
When you are intending to travel with your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P2 offers external measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Pentax MX-1 has proportions of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") having a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-P2 versus Pentax MX-1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at that moment. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-P2 against the MX-1.
Olympus E-P2 vs Pentax MX-1 size comparison
Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P2 and MX-1 is 86 and 84 respectively.
Olympus E-P2 vs Pentax MX-1 top view buttons comparison          

        


        

          

            
Olympus E-P2 vs Pentax MX-1 Sensor Comparison

          

          

            
Usually, it's difficult to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions just by viewing specs. The pic underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P2 and MX-1.
All in all, the 2 cameras have got the exact same MP but different sensor dimensions. The E-P2 uses the larger sensor which should make getting bokeh less difficult. The more aged E-P2 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

            Olympus E-P2 vs Pentax MX-1 sensor size comparison
          

        


        

          

            
Olympus E-P2 vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and ViewFinder

          

          

                      

          Olympus E-P2 vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison        


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Photography Type Scores

          

        

        
Portrait Comparison
Portrait photography with Olympus E-P2
Portrait photography with Pentax MX-1
60
 manual focus
 sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
 provides face detection focusing
 exports RAW formats
 resolution not great (12MP)
42
 has manual focus
 comes with face detect focus
 delivers RAW files
 cannot use external flash
 resolution not great (12 megapixels)
 sensor size is small (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison
 Olympus E-P2 as a Street photography camera
 Pentax MX-1 as a Street photography camera
74
 image stabilization (Sensor based)
 sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
 exports RAW formats
 no moving screen
65
 tilting screen
 built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 delivers RAW files
 sensor size is small (1/1.7")
 more heavy than competition in class (391 grams)
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Sports Comparison
Sports photography with Olympus E-P2
Sports photography with Pentax MX-1
40
 image stabilization (Sensor based)
 sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
 continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
 resolution not great (12MP)
 low battery power (300 shots)
 lacks phase detect AF
43
 max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
 built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 comes with tracking focus
 good battery life (290 shots)
 max frames per second low (1.0 fps)
 resolution not great (12 megapixels)
 sensor size is small (1/1.7")
 lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison
Olympus E-P2 Travel photography details
Pentax MX-1 Travel photography details
43
 lack of Timelapse function
 low battery power (300 per charge)
 resolution not great (12 megapixels)
 display is not selfie friendly
61
 good battery life (290 CIPA)
 flash built-in
 quite wide (28mm)
 good max aperture (f1.8)
 doesn't have Timelapse function
 more heavy than competition in class (391g)
 resolution not great (12 megapixels)
 display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison
Olympus E-P2 Landscape photography info
Pentax MX-1 Landscape photography info
60
 manual focus
 interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
 pretty good screen size (3 inches)
 image stabilization (Sensor based)
 sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
 exports RAW formats
 resolution not great (12MP)
 low battery power (300 CIPA)
 lack of Timelapse function
55
 has manual focus
 quite wide (28mm)
 good max aperture (f1.8)
 screen is a good size (3 inches)
 built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 delivers RAW files
 good battery life (290 CIPA)
 lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
 resolution not great (12MP)
 sensor size is small (1/1.7")
 doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-P2 Vlogging highlights
Pentax MX-1 Vlogging highlights
29
 image stabilization (Sensor based)
 provides face detection focusing
 display is not selfie friendly
 low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
 lack of external microphone support
33
 quite wide (28mm)
 good max aperture (f1.8)
 built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 comes with face detect focus
 high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
 display isn't selfie friendly
 doesn't have microphone jack
 more heavy than competition in class (391g)
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Olympus E-P2 vs Pentax MX-1 Specifications

          

          

                      


          

            Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P2 and Pentax MX-1
 Olympus PEN E-P2Pentax MX-1
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-P2 Pentax MX-1
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2010-04-22 2013-07-01
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic V -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter    
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and  16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files    
Autofocusing
Focus manually    
Touch to focus    
AF continuous    
Single AF    
Tracking AF    
AF selectice    
AF center weighted    
Multi area AF    
Live view AF    
Face detect focusing    
Contract detect focusing    
Phase detect focusing    
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/1.8-2.5
Macro focus range - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 4.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly    
Liveview    
Touch operation    
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority    
Aperture priority    
Manually set exposure    
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB    
Image stabilization    
Built-in flash    
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync
External flash    
Auto exposure bracketing    
WB bracketing    
Fastest flash sync 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) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input    
Headphone input    
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth    
NFC    
HDMI    
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal    
Water proof    
Dust proof    
Shock proof    
Crush proof    
Freeze proof    
Weight 355 grams (0.78 pounds) 391 grams (0.86 pounds)
Dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 49
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 20.4
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 11.3
DXO Low light score 505 208
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 290 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 D-Li-106
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature    
Storage media SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at release $799 $400