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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-30

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Pentax K-30 front
Portability
63
Imaging
57
Features
66
Overall
60

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-30 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Introduced May 2010
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL1s
Pentax K-30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 650g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Launched October 2012
  • Later Model is Pentax K-50
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-30 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax K-30, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and K-30 (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and K-30 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL1 was announced 3 years before the K-30 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL1 scores versus the K-30 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Pentax K-30

 E-PL1 K-30 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-30 over the Olympus E-PL1

 K-30 E-PL1 
LaunchedOctober 2012May 2010Newer by 29 months
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax K-30

 E-PL1 K-30 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch display No Touch display

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-30 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1 has outer measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-30 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax K-30 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1 against the K-30.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-30 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and K-30 is 86 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-30 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is tough to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions just by reading specifications. The image here will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1 and K-30.

Plainly, both of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1 having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Pentax K-30 will offer you extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-30 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Portrait photography details
Pentax K-30 Portrait photography details
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
74
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Street photography info
Pentax K-30 Street photography info
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no articulating screen
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
weather proofing
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography info
Pentax K-30 Sports photography info
44
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
low MP (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (290 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect AF
67
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
comes with phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
terrible battery life (410 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography information
Pentax K-30 Travel photography information
51
flash built-in
no Time Lapse recording
not so great battery (290 CIPA)
low MP (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
60
weather proofing
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
terrible battery life (410 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Landscape photography information
Pentax K-30 Landscape photography information
55
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
small screen (2.7")
low MP (12MP)
not so great battery (290 CIPA)
no Time Lapse recording
73
manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
weather proofing
terrible battery life (410 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL1
Vlogging with Pentax K-30
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focusing
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external mic jack
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing mic support
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax K-30
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Pentax K-30
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1 Pentax K-30
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2010-05-17 2012-10-29
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V Prime M
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 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Total lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 12.00 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, Slow Sync+ Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic 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 Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334 grams (0.74 lb) 650 grams (1.43 lb)
Physical dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 54 79
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 13.0
DXO Low light rating 487 1129
Other
Battery life 290 shots 410 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 D-LI109,4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Price at release $288 $525