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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
43
Overall
46
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Revealed May 2010
  • Later Model is Olympus E-PL1s
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Released June 2013
  • Superseded the Pentax K-5
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

Below, we are contrasting the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax K-5 II, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and K-5 II (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and K-5 II (APS-C) use different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL1 was unveiled 4 years earlier than the K-5 II and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-PL1 matches up vs the K-5 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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

 E-PL1 K-5 II 

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

 K-5 II E-PL1 
ReleasedJune 2013May 2010More recent by 37 months
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)

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

 E-PL1 K-5 II 
Focus manually More exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1 features external dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 II has specifications of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax K-5 II in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the E-PL1 versus the K-5 II.

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

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and K-5 II is 86 and 60 respectively.

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

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor measurements simply by researching specs. The photograph here may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and K-5 II.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Pentax K-5 II will render greater detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics much more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

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

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

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Portrait photography information
Pentax K-5 II Portrait photography information
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
74
you can focus manually
good resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detect focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Street photography features
Pentax K-5 II Street photography features
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
fixed screen
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL1
Sports photography with Pentax K-5 II
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery life (290 CIPA)
no phase detect autofocus
79
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking focus
weather proofing
has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography info
Pentax K-5 II Travel photography info
52
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse function
bad battery life (290 shots)
megapixel count low (12MP)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
65
weather proofing
good resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Landscape photography factors
Pentax K-5 II Landscape photography factors
55
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is small (2.7 inches)
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery life (290 per charge)
missing Time Lapse function
79
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging factors
Pentax K-5 II Vlogging factors
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
does not contain selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing mic jack
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has microphone socket
display isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax K-5 II
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL1 Pentax K-5 II
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2010-05-17 2013-06-04
Physical type 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 surface 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
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 51200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Min boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
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
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder 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 rate 3.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes 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
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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 480 (25, 30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 334 grams (0.74 pounds) 760 grams (1.68 pounds)
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 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 14.1
DXO Low light score 487 1235
Other
Battery life 290 shots 980 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Price at launch $288 $830