Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax 645D

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Pentax 645D. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Pentax 645D Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.