Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K100D S

Following is a thorough comparison of the Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K100D S, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and K100D S (6MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and K100D S (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1 was brought out 2 years after the K100D S which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K100D S being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-PL1 matches up versus the K100D S in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Pentax K100D Super. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Pentax K100D S Gallery.

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1 enjoys outer 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) whilst the Pentax K100D S has measurements of 129mm x 91mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.8") and a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K100D S in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use at that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-PL1 versus the K100D S.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and K100D S is 86 and 65 respectively.

Typically, it's tough to see the contrast between sensor sizes just by checking a spec sheet. The picture here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and K100D S.

As you can see, both of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Olympus E-PL1 will give greater detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The newer E-PL1 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.