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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Announced November 2010
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL1
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL2
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Released April 2014
  • Old Model is Pentax 645D
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax 645Z Overview

Following is a thorough analysis of the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax 645Z, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and 645Z (Medium format) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1s was introduced 4 years before the 645Z which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-PL1s scores against the 645Z with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Pentax 645Z

 E-PL1s 645Z 

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Olympus E-PL1s

 645Z E-PL1s 
ReleasedApril 2014November 2010More modern by 41 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3.2"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax 645Z

 E-PL1s 645Z 
Manually focus More exact focus
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1s has physical measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Pentax 645Z has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") with a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax 645Z in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL1s versus the 645Z.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1s and 645Z is 86 and 49 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizes merely by researching specifications. The pic underneath will give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1s and 645Z.

Plainly, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1s having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Pentax 645Z will provide you with more detail using its extra 39MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1s will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax 645Z Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Portrait photography advice
Pentax 645Z Portrait photography advice
60
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
88
you can focus manually
high MP (51 megapixels)
large sensor size (Medium format)
offers face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Street photography camera
Pentax 645Z as a Street photography camera
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no moving screen
63
screen tilts up and down
large sensor size (Medium format)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
great ISO range (204,800)
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competitors in class (1,550g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Sports photography details
Pentax 645Z Sports photography details
44
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
low fps (3.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12MP)
terrible battery power (290 shots)
has no phase detect autofocus
71
high MP (51 megapixels)
large sensor size (Medium format)
offers tracking focus
environment proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
max frames per second low (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery pack (650 per charge)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography highlights
Pentax 645Z Travel photography highlights
51
has built in flash
missing Timelapse recording
terrible battery power (290 per charge)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
51
environment proof
high MP (51MP)
bad battery pack (650 CIPA)
more heavy than competitors in class (1,550g)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Landscape photography factors
Pentax 645Z Landscape photography factors
55
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery power (290 per charge)
missing Timelapse recording
78
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2")
high MP (51 megapixels)
large sensor size (Medium format)
doesnt have low pass filter
great ISO range (204,800)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
2 card slots
lack of image stabilization
bad battery pack (650 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging features
Pentax 645Z Vlogging features
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
display is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external microphone port
27
offers face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes microphone support
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competitors in class (1,550g)
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax 645Z
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sPentax 645Z
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1s Pentax 645Z
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro DSLR
Announced 2010-11-16 2014-04-15
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V PRIME III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 51 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 8256 x 6192
Highest native ISO 6400 204800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 27
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Available lenses 107 6
Focal length multiplier 2.1 0.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3.2 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Flash On, Flash On+Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync+Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, contrast-control-sync, high-speed sync, wireless sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s 1/125s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p,24p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334g (0.74 pounds) 1550g (3.42 pounds)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 101
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 4505
Other
Battery life 290 shots 650 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Card slots 1 Dual
Retail pricing $599 $5,024