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Olympus E-P5 vs Pentax K-S2

Portability
85
Imaging
53
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-P5 front
 
Pentax K-S2 front
Portability
64
Imaging
64
Features
82
Overall
71

Olympus E-P5 vs Pentax K-S2 Key Specs

Olympus E-P5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 420g - 122 x 69 x 37mm
  • Announced October 2013
  • Older Model is Olympus E-P3
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
  • Announced February 2015
  • Previous Model is Pentax K-S1
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Olympus E-P5 vs Pentax K-S2 Overview

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-P5 and Pentax K-S2, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the E-P5 (16MP) and the K-S2 (20MP) is pretty comparable but the E-P5 (Four Thirds) and K-S2 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P5 was released 16 months before the K-S2 which makes them a generation away from one another. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-P5 grades vs the K-S2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P5 over the Pentax K-S2

 E-P5 K-S2 
Screen resolution1037k921kCrisper screen (+116k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-S2 over the Olympus E-P5

 K-S2 E-P5 
AnnouncedFebruary 2015October 2013Newer by 16 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-P5 and Pentax K-S2

 E-P5 K-S2 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing

Olympus E-P5 vs Pentax K-S2 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P5 features outside dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") along with a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) while the Pentax K-S2 has proportions of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") with a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-P5 and Pentax K-S2 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-P5 vs the K-S2.

Olympus E-P5 vs Pentax K-S2 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P5 and K-S2 is 85 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-P5 vs Pentax K-S2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P5 vs Pentax K-S2 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be hard to envision the gap in sensor dimensions just by going through specifications. The image below will help give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P5 and K-S2.

To sum up, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-P5 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Pentax K-S2 will show extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged E-P5 will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-P5 vs Pentax K-S2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P5 vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P5 vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P5 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-S2 as a Portrait photography camera
71
focusing manually
above average flash sync speed (1/320s)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
78
has manual focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-P5
Street photography with Pentax K-S2
78
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
provides touch to focus
good ISO range (25,600)
more heavy than competition (420g)
72
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
good ISO range (51,200)
more heavy than competition (678 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Sports photography information
Pentax K-S2 Sports photography information
68
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
does not have phase detect autofocus
70
high shutter speed (1/6,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
slow frames per second (5.4 frames per second)
bad battery power (410 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Travel photography advice
Pentax K-S2 Travel photography advice
68
provides touch to focus
good resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
more heavy than competition (420 grams)
does not have selfie friendly display
65
weather proofing
megapixel count good (20MP)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
bad battery power (410 shots)
more heavy than competition (678 grams)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P5 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-S2 as a Landscape photography camera
79
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
77
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
no anti-alias filter
good ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
bad battery power (410 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P5 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-S2 as a Vlogging camera
33
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have selfie friendly display
doesn't have microphone jack
more heavy than competition (420g)
71
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external microphone jack
more heavy than competition (678g)
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Olympus E-P5 vs Pentax K-S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P5 and Pentax K-S2
 Olympus PEN E-P5Pentax K-S2
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-P5 Pentax K-S2
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2013-10-03 2015-02-10
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - 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 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 25600 51200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Amount of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech 3:2 LCD capacitive touchscreen -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/6000s
Continuous shooting speed 9.0fps 5.4fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (ISO 100) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (1st or 2nd curtain), Manual (1/1 - 1/64) Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on, flash on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual flash
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/320s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 420g (0.93 pounds) 678g (1.49 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") 123 x 91 x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 895 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photos 410 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI109
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $389 $581