Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-5 II

The following is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-PL1s versus Pentax K-5 II, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and K-5 II (16MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and K-5 II (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1s was revealed 3 years before the K-5 II which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go right into a more detailed comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL1s matches up vs the K-5 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s and Pentax K-5 II. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery and Pentax K-5 II Gallery.

In case you're going to travel with your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL1s enjoys outside dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 II has proportions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL1s versus Pentax K-5 II in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1s against the K-5 II.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and K-5 II is 86 and 60 respectively.

Often, its hard to envision the difference between sensor dimensions simply by checking specs. The picture underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1s and K-5 II.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1s using its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-5 II will give you greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1s is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.