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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Launched November 2010
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL1
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL2
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Raise to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Revealed June 2013
  • Previous Model is Pentax K-5
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Pentax K-5 II

 E-PL1s K-5 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Olympus E-PL1s

 K-5 II E-PL1s 
RevealedJune 2013November 2010Newer by 31 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax K-5 II

 E-PL1s K-5 II 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither features Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-5 II size comparison

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

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-5 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-5 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Portrait photography highlights
Pentax K-5 II Portrait photography highlights
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
74
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes face detection focusing
exports RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Street photography with Pentax K-5 II
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
environment proof
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Sports photography features
Pentax K-5 II Sports photography features
44
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
bad battery power (290 shots)
has no phase detect auto focus
79
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proof
has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Travel photography camera
51
flash built-in
no Time Lapse function
bad battery power (290 CIPA)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
65
environment proof
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Landscape photography camera
55
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7")
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
bad battery power (290 shots)
no Time Lapse function
79
has manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
environment proof
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Vlogging camera
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focus
screen is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no mic socket
33
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone support
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax K-5 II
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sPentax K-5 II
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL1s Pentax K-5 II
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Launched 2010-11-16 2013-06-04
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Truepic V Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 51200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Min boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Amount of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 334 grams (0.74 lbs) 760 grams (1.68 lbs)
Physical dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 82
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.1
DXO Low light score not tested 1235
Other
Battery life 290 photos 980 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $599 $830