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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
43
Overall
46
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Pentax Optio P80 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
23
Overall
30

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80 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
  • Released May 2010
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL1s
Pentax P80
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F2.6-5.8) lens
  • 125g - 102 x 59 x 25mm
  • Released August 2009
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80 Overview

Here, we are looking at the Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the P80 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and P80 (1/2.3") have different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1 was revealed 10 months later than the P80 which means that they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax P80 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a in depth comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-PL1 matches up versus the P80 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Pentax P80

 E-PL1 P80 
ReleasedMay 2010August 2009More recent by 10 months

Reasons to pick Pentax P80 over the Olympus E-PL1

 P80 E-PL1 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax P80

 E-PL1 P80 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size2.7"2.7"Same display sizing
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch display No Touch display

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1 comes with outside dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Pentax P80 has sizing of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") along with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80 in the new 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 that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL1 against the P80.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and P80 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is hard to picture the gap between sensor measurements simply by checking technical specs. The graphic here should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and P80.

As you have seen, each of these cameras come with the identical megapixels but different sensor measurements. The E-PL1 contains the larger sensor which will make getting shallower depth of field easier. The more modern E-PL1 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Portrait photography information
Pentax P80 Portrait photography information
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
27
focusing manually
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Street photography camera
Pentax P80 as a Street photography camera
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
fixed screen
55
lighter than others (125 grams)
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL1
Sports photography with Pentax P80
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
max fps low (3.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
bad battery pack (290 CIPA)
no phase detect autofocus
17
max shutter speed is low (1/1,000s)
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography advice
Pentax P80 Travel photography advice
52
flash built-in
no Timelapse function
bad battery pack (290 per charge)
low megapixels (12MP)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
62
lighter than others (125 grams)
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse function
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL1
Landscape photography with Pentax P80
55
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is small (2.7 inches)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
bad battery pack (290 shots)
no Timelapse function
32
focusing manually
pretty wide (28mm)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL1
Vlogging with Pentax P80
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection autofocus
does not offer selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone support
28
pretty wide (28mm)
lighter than others (125 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone port
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax P80 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax P80
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Pentax Optio P80
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL1 Pentax Optio P80
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2010-05-17 2009-08-05
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Truepic V Prime
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 64
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Highest aperture - f/2.6-5.8
Macro focus range - 10cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m 4.60 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
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 None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 334 gr (0.74 lbs) 125 gr (0.28 lbs)
Physical dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 102 x 59 x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 54 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light score 487 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-1 D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $288 $200