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Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K100D

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Pentax K100D front
Portability
64
Imaging
45
Features
36
Overall
41

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K100D Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Revealed February 2011
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL1s
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL3
Pentax K100D
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 660g - 129 x 93 x 70mm
  • Launched December 2006
  • Newer Model is Pentax K100D S
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K100D Overview

Below is a complete review of the Olympus E-PL2 versus Pentax K100D, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and K100D (6MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and K100D (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL2 was brought out 4 years later than the K100D and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K100D being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-PL2 matches up against the K100D in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Pentax K100D

 E-PL2 K100D 
LaunchedFebruary 2011December 2006More recent by 52 months
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k210kCrisper display (+250k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax K100D over the Olympus E-PL2

 K100D E-PL2 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax K100D

 E-PL2 K100D 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K100D Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL2 comes with outside dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) while the Pentax K100D has dimensions of 129mm x 93mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8") along with a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL2 versus Pentax K100D in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use during that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL2 against the K100D.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K100D size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and K100D is 85 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K100D top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K100D Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its difficult to visualize the gap between sensor measurements only by reading specs. The photograph below will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL2 and K100D.

All in all, both of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL2 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Olympus E-PL2 will offer more detail having its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The younger E-PL2 should have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K100D sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K100D Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K100D Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography information
Pentax K100D Portrait photography information
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
low resolution (12 megapixels)
51
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no liveview feature
low resolution (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Street photography features
Pentax K100D Street photography features
73
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
58
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no moving screen
heavier than average in class (660 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K100D as a Sports photography camera
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
low battery power (280 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect AF
47
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
low resolution (6MP)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Travel photography features
Pentax K100D Travel photography features
51
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse mode
low battery power (280 per charge)
low resolution (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
42
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
heavier than average in class (660g)
low resolution (6MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography information
Pentax K100D Landscape photography information
61
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low resolution (12 megapixels)
low battery power (280 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
52
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
small screen (2.5 inches)
no liveview feature
low resolution (6MP)
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Vlogging advice
Pentax K100D Vlogging advice
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focusing
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external mic port
9
no video shooting
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax K100D Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax K100D
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Pentax K100D
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Pentax K100D
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2011-02-11 2006-12-03
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 6 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 3008 x 2008
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 11 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Total lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.5 inch
Display resolution 460k dots 210k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 96 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.57x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 None
Video file format Motion JPEG -
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362g (0.80 pounds) 660g (1.46 pounds)
Dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 129 x 93 x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 not tested
DXO Low light score 573 not tested
Other
Battery life 280 photos -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/MMC card
Card slots One One
Retail cost $0 $0