Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax E70

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PL1 versus Pentax E70, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the E70 (10MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and E70 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1 was unveiled 17 months after the E70 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax E70 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-PL1 scores vs the E70 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Pentax Optio E70. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Pentax E70 Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1 provides external dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Pentax E70 has measurements of 94mm x 61mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.0") with a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL1 versus Pentax E70 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL1 against the E70.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and E70 is 86 and 94 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be tough to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing technical specs. The image below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and E70.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1 using its larger sensor will make shooting bokeh easier and the Olympus E-PL1 will deliver greater detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more modern E-PL1 will have an edge with regard to sensor technology.