Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax WS80

Below is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax WS80, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Waterproof by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the WS80 (10MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and WS80 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL1s was brought out 16 months later than the WS80 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax WS80 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-PL1s scores against the WS80 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Pentax Optio WS80. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Pentax WS80 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1s offers physical measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Pentax WS80 has dimensions of 92mm x 60mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 0.9") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax WS80 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select at the time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1s versus the WS80.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and WS80 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to envision the gap between sensor measurements merely by reading specifications. The photograph below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1s and WS80.

To sum up, each of these cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL1s will offer you greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics far more aggressively. The newer E-PL1s is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.