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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax 645D

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Pentax 645D front
Portability
50
Imaging
76
Features
52
Overall
66

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax 645D Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Revealed September 2012
Pentax 645D
(Full Review)
  • 40MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 1600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • No Video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1480g - 156 x 117 x 119mm
  • Released March 2010
  • Refreshed by Pentax 645Z
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax 645D Overview

Below, we are contrasting the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax 645D, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Pro DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and 645D (40MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and 645D (Medium format) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL5 was released 2 years later than the 645D and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax 645D being a Large SLR camera.

Before getting in to a more detailed comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-PL5 grades vs the 645D for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Pentax 645D

 E-PL5 645D 
ReleasedSeptember 2012March 2010More recent by 31 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax 645D over the Olympus E-PL5

 645D E-PL5 
Display resolution921k460kCrisper display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax 645D

 E-PL5 645D 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax 645D Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL5 has got external dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Pentax 645D has specifications of 156mm x 117mm x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7") having a weight of 1480 grams (3.26 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax 645D in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL5 versus the 645D.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax 645D size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and 645D is 88 and 50 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax 645D top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax 645D Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its tough to see the difference between sensor measurements only by looking at specifications. The photograph underneath will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and 645D.

To sum up, both of those cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax 645D will give more detail as a result of its extra 24MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more recent E-PL5 will have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax 645D sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax 645D Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax 645D Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax 645D Portrait photography highlights
71
you can focus manually
good resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
77
focusing manually
megapixel count amazing (40MP)
great sensor size (Medium format)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography info
Pentax 645D Street photography info
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
supports touch focus
above average high ISO (25,600)
58
great sensor size (Medium format)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography factors
Pentax 645D Sports photography factors
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
63
megapixel count amazing (40 megapixels)
great sensor size (Medium format)
weather sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low battery life (800 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography advice
Pentax 645D Travel photography advice
75
supports touch focus
good resolution (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
lack of Timelapse recording
55
weather sealing
megapixel count amazing (40 megapixels)
low battery life (800 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography information
Pentax 645D Landscape photography information
74
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
lack of Timelapse recording
72
focusing manually
change lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
megapixel count amazing (40 megapixels)
great sensor size (Medium format)
no anti aliasing filter
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
has double storage slots
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
low battery life (800 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL5
Vlogging with Pentax 645D
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lack of microphone socket
9
lack of video recording
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax 645D Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax 645D
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Pentax 645D
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Pentax 645D
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro DSLR
Revealed 2012-09-17 2010-03-10
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 40 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 7264 x 5440
Maximum native ISO 25600 1600
Minimum native ISO 200 200
RAW support
Minimum enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Number of lenses 107 6
Crop factor 2.1 0.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle and with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/125 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 grams (0.72 lb) 1480 grams (3.26 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 156 x 117 x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 82
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 24.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 12.6
DXO Low light rating 889 1262
Other
Battery life 360 photographs 800 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC
Storage slots 1 Two
Cost at release $400 $4,000