Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax 645Z: A Tale of Two Cameras Worlds Apart

Having tested thousands of cameras over the past 15 years, I’m often asked to compare radically different models - whether vintage classics or the latest pro beasts. Today’s pairing? The Olympus E-PL2, an entry-level Micro Four Thirds mirrorless from 2011, and the Pentax 645Z, a professional medium format DSLR launched in 2014. At first glance, these cameras couldn’t be more distinct in size, scope, purpose, and price. Yet, understanding how each performs in real-world shooting scenarios helps clarify what’s truly important in your gear - and what tradeoffs you might accept.

So buckle up for a comprehensive 2,500-word hands-on comparison that blends technical expertise, field experience, and a candid look at how these two cameras stack up across photography genres. Whether you’re a cheapskate trying to squeeze value from the E-PL2 or a prosumer with deep pockets eyeing the 645Z, I’ll break down every major use case with actionable insights.

First Impressions: Size, Ergonomics & Handling

Let’s start with the obvious difference: size and build. The Olympus E-PL2 sports a petite, rangefinder-style mirrorless body weighing just 362 grams and measuring 114x72x42mm - perfect for slipping into a jacket pocket or small bag. The 645Z, by contrast, is an industrial-grade medium format SLR, hulking at 1,550 grams with dimensions of 156x117x123mm. This is one serious camera, best suited for a shoulder strap and sturdy tripod.

The Olympus’s compactness translates into exceptional portability and discreetness, ideal for street, travel, or casual shooting. The flip side? Smaller controls and more plastic in the grip, which might feel less comfortable on prolonged shoots - especially if you have “clubs for thumbs” like I do.

Meanwhile, the 645Z’s heft comes with a robust, weather-sealed magnesium alloy frame designed to resist dust, freezing temps, and moderate rough treatment. It’s built for professional workflows demanding reliability in challenging conditions. The grip is deep, controls are solidly placed for speed, and top dials provide tactile feedback without fumbling - an absolute delight for those used to bigger bodies.

If you’re chasing sheer convenience and light weight, the E-PL2 wins hands down. For endurance and confidence in tough environments, the 645Z is a fortress.

Design Details: Top Controls and Screen Interface

Examining the top panel reveals divergent philosophies. The E-PL2 offers a minimalist setup with basic mode dial, shutter button, and a pop-up flash. It’s straightforward but not customizable; no rear command dials or joystick for autofocus point selection. For beginners or casual shooters, this simplicity prevents confusion - great for “point and shoot” with manual options if you want to dive deeper.

The 645Z, meanwhile, boasts a clutch of dedicated dials and buttons, including shutter speed and ISO wheels on top. This level of control lets pros rapidly tweak settings on the fly, which is crucial when capturing fleeting moments in sports or wildlife. The omission of built-in flash may bug casual users, but external flash compatibility with P-TTL modes makes it a powerful studio and event tool.

Turning to rear screens…

The E-PL2 sports a fixed 3-inch LCD with 460k-dot resolution and HyperCrystal LCD AR coating. It’s sharp but not bright by modern standards - sometimes tricky to see in direct sunlight. No touchscreen means you’ll rely on physical buttons for menu navigation, which isn’t awful, just less convenient.

The 645Z’s 3.2-inch tilting LCD boasts 1,037k dots, delivering crisp image review and live view. Tilting helps shooting from awkward angles, though no touch layer slightly limits intuitive navigating.

Bottom line: the Pentax’s screen is substantially better for composition and menus, but the Olympus feels adequate if you don’t mind button mashing.

Sensor and Image Quality Showdown

Here’s where the gulf widens dramatically. The E-PL2 uses a Four Thirds 17.3x13 mm CMOS sensor with 12MP resolution, an anti-aliasing filter, and native ISO 100–6400. The 645Z features a massive 44x33 mm medium format CMOS sensor offering 51MP resolution, no anti-alias filter, and a stunning ISO range up to 204800 (native).

To put it simply, the 645Z sensor area is roughly 6.5 times larger than the E-PL2. This means vastly superior dynamic range (14.7 vs 10.2 stops), color depth (26 vs 21.4 bits), and low-light sensitivity (ISO 4505 vs 573 DxO mark). You’ll get richer gradations, less noise, and huge print- or crop-ability from the Pentax. Meanwhile, the Olympus, while modest, still delivers solid image quality for the price - especially for web use, snapshots, or small prints.

The 645Z’s lack of anti-aliasing filter boosts sharpness and microcontrast, a big plus in landscape and studio work demanding pixel-level detail.

Autofocus Systems: Precision vs Pragmatism

Both cameras employ contrast-detection AF in live view, but the Pentax also sports 27 phase-detection focus points, improving speed and tracking accuracy.

The Olympus has 11 contrast-based focus points, face detection, and multi-area modes but lacks phase detection or animal eye AF. Autofocus is adequate for static subjects, casual portraits, and basic tracking, but it will struggle with fast action or wildlife.

The 645Z shines here - its hybrid AF system locks on quickly, tracks moving subjects effectively, and is far better suited to demanding situations like sports or wildlife. While its 3 FPS burst is the same as Olympus, better AF consistency and buffer depth tip the scales in Pentax’s favor.

If fast-moving, unpredictable subjects are your jam, the 645Z’s AF is a serious advantage.

Build Quality and Environmental Protection

As touched on, the Olympus E-PL2 is an entry-level camera with no weather sealing or shock protection. Its plastic body can feel fragile, and you’ll want to baby it in rain or dusty environments.

In contrast, the sturdy 645Z boasts full dustproofing, partial waterproofing, and freeze proofing down to -10°C. It’s solid enough for outdoor pro assignments without an expensive protective housing.

This makes Pentax the natural choice for landscape, wildlife, and travel photographers who shoot in variable weather or remote locations.

Lens Ecosystem and Compatibility

The Olympus uses the Micro Four Thirds mount with over 100 lenses available (focusing by my hands-on count), ranging from pancakes, zooms, primes, macro, and specialty optics from Olympus, Panasonic, and third parties. This ecosystem is versatile, affordable, and compact lens options align well with the body’s size and sensor.

The Pentax 645Z’s 645AF2 mount is a niche medium format system with just 6 native lenses currently. These are specialized, large, and expensive optics but designed perfectly to exploit the image circle of its large sensor.

Lens choice for Olympus favors flexibility and budget-conscious users, while the Pentax is laser-focused on ultimate image quality over quantity.

Burst Rates and Buffer Capacity

Both cameras shoot at 3 FPS, which by 2024 standards is leisurely.

Olympus’s buffer fills quickly, limiting continuous shooting bursts especially in RAW mode. Pentax manages roughly similar burst lengths but has better buffer handling, enabling longer sequences at full res before slowdown.

Neither is great for high-speed sports photography compared to modern mirrorless flagships, but Pentax’s AF tracking helps compensate.

Video Capabilities: Modest vs Professional

The E-PL2 shoots 720p HD video at 30fps using Motion JPEG - a dated codec resulting in large files and modest quality with no continuous autofocus during recording. Built-in mic only, no external mic input.

The 645Z records 1080p Full HD video at 60i/30p using modern H.264 codec, providing better quality with external microphone input for professional audio. No 4K or advanced stabilisation, but respectable for a medium format DSLR.

If video is a priority, the Pentax offers a more usable and higher-quality solution. The Olympus video is an occasional novelty but won’t satisfy serious videographers.

Battery Life and Storage Options

Pentax scores big with an approximate 650-shot CIPA rating, nearly doubling the E-PL2’s 280 shots. For travel or extended shoots, the larger camera stays on location longer without swapping batteries.

Storage is another strong suit for Pentax - dual memory card slots with SD/SDHC/SDXC compatibility provide redundancy and high capacity. Olympus relies on a single SD/SDHC slot.

Professionals will appreciate Pentax’s robustness here, while casual shooters with Olympus can easily carry spares.

Connectivity and Wireless Features

Neither camera offers built-in wireless connectivity, Bluetooth, NFC, or GPS. Pentax supports optional GPS via external modules, useful for geotagging landscapes or travel photos.

Olympus’s USB 2.0 interface is slow for tethered shooting or rapid transfers, whereas Pentax’s USB 3.0 port allows faster data movement - important when handling 51-megapixel files.

For workflow integration, Pentax edges ahead with modern connectivity options despite lacking Wi-Fi.

Tackling the Genres: Which Camera Excels Where?

Olympus E PL2 front Olympus E PL2 screen back Pentax 645Z front Pentax 645Z screen back

Portraits

Olympus E-PL2 delivers pleasing skin tones and decent bokeh with fast Micro Four Thirds primes - though the smaller sensor restricts creamy background blur and dynamic range. Eye detection AF works well for casual portraiture but can struggle indoors.

645Z offers buttery smooth skin rendition, spectacular detail, and natural colors from medium format sensors, producing portraits with depth impossible for smaller formats. Its superior focusing gives confidence with shallow depth-of-field lenses.

Winner: Pentax 645Z for professional portrait work; Olympus suitable for amateur portraits.

Landscape

The 645Z dominates here - its high resolution and wide dynamic range reveal every rock and leaf at stunning detail. Weather sealing means it can handle harsh outdoor conditions comfortably. Olympus can do landscapes too, but limited resolution and DR curtail final print size.

Winner: Pentax 645Z hands down.

Wildlife

The Pentax’s faster, more accurate AF and large buffer make it better suited to tracking animals, especially birds in flight. The Olympus’s 3-fps pace and slower AF hinder capturing fast behavior.

Winner: Pentax 645Z for serious wildlife photographers.

Sports

Neither camera is a speed demon at 3 FPS, but Pentax’s focusing plus robust build make it better for low light and action. Olympus is better for casual sports snaps when portability is key.

Winner: Pentax 645Z with reservations.

Street Photography

Olympus’s compactness, light weight, and quiet operation win for street shooters who need to blend in. The 645Z’s size and clatter aren’t ideal for candid shots.

Winner: Olympus E-PL2.

Macro Photography

Definite edge to Pentax for resolution and detail. Olympus’s in-body stabilization (sensor-shift) helps with handheld close-ups, though lens choice is broader on Micro Four Thirds for casual macro.

Winner: Pentax 645Z for pro macro work; Olympus for hobbyists.

Night and Astro

Pentax offers the best ISO performance and dynamic range for night scenes. Olympus can manage casual night photography but with visible noise sooner.

Winner: Pentax 645Z.

Video

Pentax’s HDMI output and external mic port enable better sound and recording options than Olympus’s basic 720p clips.

Winner: Pentax 645Z.

Travel

For long hikes and city breaks, Olympus’s portability and 280-shot battery life suffice for most enthusiasts. Pentax’s bulk and weight make it a serious commitment. Battery life, although excellent, adds weight to the pack.

Winner: Depends on priority - Olympus for light travel, Pentax for image quality.

Professional Work

Only the 645Z fits into professional workflows requiring robust files, reliability, durability, and RAW fidelity.

Technical Scores and Rankings

Using industry-standard DxO Mark metrics and real-world tests, the 645Z scores 101 overall compared to the E-PL2’s 55. Color depth differential and dynamic range spread reflect sensor size and design. Low-light ISO scores reinforce the superior noise performance of the larger sensor.

Genre Specific Ratings Side-by-Side

You can see how each camera scores by genre:

• Portrait: 645Z leads overwhelmingly
• Landscape: Huge pentax advantage
• Wildlife and Sports: Pentax ahead but not speed-focused
• Street: Olympus scores better for portability
• Macro and Night: Pentax dominates again
• Video: Pentax wins clearly
• Travel: Olympus favored for ease
• Professional Use: Pentax is the only choice

Pros and Cons Summary

Olympus E-PL2

Pros:

• Compact and lightweight
• Affordable and available used
• Adequate image quality for casual users
• Sensor-based image stabilization
• Decent lens ecosystem

Cons:

• Low-resolution screen, no touch
• Smaller sensor limits image quality
• No weather sealing
• Slow autofocus and shooting speed
• Basic video capabilities
• Poor battery life by today’s standards

Pentax 645Z

Pros:

• Massive 51MP medium format CMOS sensor
• Exceptional image quality, dynamic range, and color
• Weather sealed and freeze proof for professional use
• Robust, ergonomic build with premium controls
• Better autofocus system with phase detection
• Professional video recording with mic input
• Dual card slots and long battery life

Cons:

• Huge and heavy camera body
• Limited lens selection (only six native lenses)
• Slow high-speed continuous shooting relative to sports cameras
• Very expensive (~$5,000 body only)
• No touchscreen or modern wireless features

Real-World Recommendations

If you’re a hobbyist, content creator on a budget, or looking for a tiny second camera, the Olympus E-PL2 delivers solid value. It’s easy to carry, straightforward to use, and capable of great images if you pick your moments and subjects carefully. Ideal for street photography, travel snapshots, portraits, and learning manual controls.

For professionals or serious enthusiasts prioritizing ultimate image quality, the Pentax 645Z remains an outstanding tool. Landscapes, studio portraits, commercial photography, and fine art printing are where it shines. Be prepared for the investment in money, size, and handling skill.

My Take: Who Should Buy Which?

I’ve personally lugged the 645Z across freezing mountain tops chasing landscapes and found its image quality results unchanged by harsh weather, producing frame-worthy photographs that still impress clients. But walking through crowded markets with the 645Z? Nope. I reach for the nimble Olympus E-PL2, which lets me blend in and capture fleeting street moments without fatigue.

Want pro-level files and can carry a small brick? Pentax 645Z. Need light, affordable gear for everyday use? Olympus E-PL2.

In the end, these cameras epitomize different eras and philosophies - small, fun, accessible mirrorless vs. a heavyweight medium format champion. Both have their place in my bag depending on the task. Hopefully, this deep dive helps you decide where your next camera investment will best pay off.

Happy shooting!

• Your hands-on camera geek and guide

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