Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-30

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Pentax K-30. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Pentax K-30 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.