Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K-5 II

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.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL2 & Pentax K-5 II. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery & Pentax K-5 II Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.