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Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax MX-1

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Pentax MX-1 front
Portability
84
Imaging
37
Features
60
Overall
46

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax MX-1 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
  • Announced February 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL3
Pentax MX-1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
  • Released July 2013
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax MX-1 Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax MX-1, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the MX-1 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and MX-1 (1/1.7") have different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL2 was announced 3 years before the MX-1 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax MX-1 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-PL2 scores vs the MX-1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Pentax MX-1

 E-PL2 MX-1 

Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Olympus E-PL2

 MX-1 E-PL2 
ReleasedJuly 2013February 2011Fresher by 29 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution920k460kClearer display (+460k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax MX-1

 E-PL2 MX-1 
Focus manually Very precise focus
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax MX-1 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL2 has physical measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Pentax MX-1 has specifications of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") with a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax MX-1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at the time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL2 compared to the MX-1.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax MX-1 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL2 and MX-1 is 85 and 84 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax MX-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax MX-1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizing purely by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph underneath should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL2 and MX-1.

Clearly, each of these cameras come with the identical megapixel count but different sensor sizing. The E-PL2 features the larger sensor which will make obtaining bokeh easier. The older E-PL2 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax MX-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL2
Portrait photography with Pentax MX-1
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
42
you can focus manually
offers face detect focus
saves RAW files
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL2
Street photography with Pentax MX-1
73
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen does not articulate
65
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW files
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
more heavy than others (391 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL2
Sports photography with Pentax MX-1
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
bad battery life (280 shots)
no phase detect autofocus
43
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers tracking focus
great battery (290 shots)
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL2
Travel photography with Pentax MX-1
51
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
bad battery life (280 per charge)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
61
great battery (290 per charge)
has built in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
no Timelapse recording
more heavy than others (391 grams)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax MX-1 as a Landscape photography camera
61
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
bad battery life (280 per charge)
lack of Timelapse recording
55
you can focus manually
relatively wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW files
great battery (290 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Vlogging factors
Pentax MX-1 Vlogging factors
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect autofocus
does not contain selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of microphone port
33
relatively wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
no microphone support
more heavy than others (391 grams)
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Pentax MX-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Pentax MX-1
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Pentax MX-1
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Pentax MX-1
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2011-02-11 2013-07-01
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.8-2.5
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 4.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.00 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
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 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362 gr (0.80 lb) 391 gr (0.86 lb)
Physical dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 49
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 20.4
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 11.3
DXO Low light score 573 208
Other
Battery life 280 pictures 290 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 D-Li-106
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $0 $400