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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax E90

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Pentax Optio E90 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
11
Overall
24

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax E90 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
  • Released November 2010
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL1
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL2
Pentax E90
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 32-95mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 145g - 102 x 59 x 25mm
  • Announced January 2010
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax E90 Overview

Here is a complete review of the Olympus E-PL1s versus Pentax E90, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the E90 (10MP) is very comparable but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and E90 (1/2.3") offer different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1s was manufactured 10 months later than the E90 and they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax E90 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-PL1s scores vs the E90 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Pentax E90

 E-PL1s E90 
AnnouncedNovember 2010January 2010Fresher by 10 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Pentax E90 over the Olympus E-PL1s

 E90 E-PL1s 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax E90

 E-PL1s E90 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size2.7"2.7"Same display sizing
Display resolution230k230kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch display Neither provides Touch display

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax E90 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1s provides external dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Pentax E90 has specifications of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") along with a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL1s versus Pentax E90 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Below is a front view size comparison of the E-PL1s compared to the E90.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax E90 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and E90 is 86 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax E90 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax E90 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing simply by going through technical specs. The graphic below should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and E90.

As you can tell, both of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1s featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL1s will show greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The newer E-PL1s should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax E90 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax E90 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax E90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Portrait photography details
Pentax E90 Portrait photography details
60
focusing manually
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
MP count low (12 megapixels)
19
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Street photography features
Pentax E90 Street photography features
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen is fixed
47
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Sports photography camera
Pentax E90 as a Sports photography camera
44
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (290 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
16
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography features
Pentax E90 Travel photography features
51
has built in flash
no Time Lapse recording
bad battery power (290 CIPA)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
50
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (32mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Landscape photography with Pentax E90
55
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.7 inch)
MP count low (12MP)
bad battery power (290 per charge)
no Time Lapse recording
22
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (32mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging highlights
Pentax E90 Vlogging highlights
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection autofocus
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic jack
22
wide angle not good (32mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax E90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax E90
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sPentax Optio E90
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL1s Pentax Optio E90
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2010-11-16 2010-01-25
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 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 11 3
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 32-95mm (3.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus distance - 6cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.00 m 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) -
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest 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 (15 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 334g (0.74 lb) 145g (0.32 lb)
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 not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 290 photos -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-1 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail price $599 $100