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Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Released February 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL3
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Raise to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Revealed June 2013
  • Superseded the Pentax K-5
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

The following is a extensive assessment of the Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and K-5 II (16MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and K-5 II (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL2 was revealed 3 years prior to the K-5 II which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-PL2 scores versus the K-5 II when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Pentax K-5 II

 E-PL2 K-5 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Olympus E-PL2

 K-5 II E-PL2 
RevealedJune 2013February 2011Newer by 28 months
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax K-5 II

 E-PL2 K-5 II 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL2 has got exterior measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 II has measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL2 and the K-5 II.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and K-5 II is 85 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

Typically, its tough to imagine the difference between sensor dimensions just by reviewing a spec sheet. The picture below should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL2 and K-5 II.

As you can see, both of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL2 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-5 II will offer greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged E-PL2 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography factors
Pentax K-5 II Portrait photography factors
60
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
74
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Street photography advice
Pentax K-5 II Street photography advice
73
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is fixed
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Sports photography camera
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
bad battery (280 shots)
no phase detect AF
79
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL2
Travel photography with Pentax K-5 II
51
has built in flash
no Timelapse recording
bad battery (280 shots)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
65
weather proofing
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography factors
Pentax K-5 II Landscape photography factors
61
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12MP)
bad battery (280 shots)
no Timelapse recording
79
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Vlogging information
Pentax K-5 II Vlogging information
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
screen is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone jack
33
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes mic socket
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax K-5 II
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Pentax K-5 II
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Released 2011-02-11 2013-06-04
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Minimum enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 11 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes 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
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
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) 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362 gr (0.80 pounds) 760 gr (1.68 pounds)
Dimensions 114 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 Overall score 55 82
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 14.1
DXO Low light score 573 1235
Other
Battery life 280 images 980 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Cost at release $0 $830