Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-1

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-PL2 versus Pentax K-1, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a significant difference among the resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and K-1 (Full frame) feature different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL2 was brought out 6 years before the K-1 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-PL2 matches up vs the K-1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL2 and Pentax K-1. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery and Pentax K-1 Gallery.

When you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL2 has outside dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Pentax K-1 has sizing of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") with a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL2 versus Pentax K-1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL2 versus the K-1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL2 and K-1 is 85 and 55 respectively.

Often, it's hard to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing merely by viewing specs. The visual here might give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and K-1.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL2 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-1 will result in extra detail having its extra 24 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics far more aggressively. The older E-PL2 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.