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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Pentax K-5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 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
  • Launched May 2010
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL1s
Pentax K-5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 12800 (Raise to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 740g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Revealed December 2010
  • Previous Model is Pentax K-7
  • Replacement is Pentax K-5 IIs
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and K-5 (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and K-5 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1 was introduced 7 months before the K-5 and they are of a similar generation. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-PL1 scores versus the K-5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Pentax K-5

 E-PL1 K-5 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 over the Olympus E-PL1

 K-5 E-PL1 
RevealedDecember 2010May 2010Newer by 7 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax K-5

 E-PL1 K-5 
Focus manually Very precise focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch display Neither contains Touch display

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to travel with your camera often, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1 has got external dimensions 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-5 has measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL1 vs the K-5.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and K-5 is 86 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to see the difference in sensor dimensions only by going through technical specs. The picture here should give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and K-5.

As you can tell, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1 using its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-5 will produce extra detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-5 as a Portrait photography camera
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
73
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
features face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL1
Street photography with Pentax K-5
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no articulating screen
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography info
Pentax K-5 Sports photography info
44
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12MP)
bad battery power (290 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
78
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking focus
weather proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography features
Pentax K-5 Travel photography features
51
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
bad battery power (290 shots)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
65
weather proofing
megapixel count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Landscape photography factors
Pentax K-5 Landscape photography factors
55
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inch)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (290 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
78
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging info
Pentax K-5 Vlogging info
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have mic socket
33
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have microphone port
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax K-5
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Pentax K-5
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL1 Pentax K-5
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Launched 2010-05-17 2010-12-18
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 11 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Total lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m 13.00 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, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/180 seconds
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 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 424 (25, 30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 334g (0.74 lb) 740g (1.63 lb)
Physical dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 54 82
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 14.1
DXO Low light score 487 1162
Other
Battery life 290 images 980 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $288 $800