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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Pentax K-1 Mark II front
Portability
55
Imaging
78
Features
82
Overall
79

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • 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 K-1 II
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 819200
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF4 Mount
  • 1010g - 137 x 110 x 86mm
  • Released February 2018
  • Older Model is Pentax K-1
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and K-1 II (36MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and K-1 II (Full frame) enjoy different sensor size.

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The E-PL5 was launched 6 years earlier than the K-1 II and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-1 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going through a thorough comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-PL5 scores versus the K-1 II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Pentax K-1 II

 E-PL5 K-1 II 
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-1 II over the Olympus E-PL5

 K-1 II E-PL5 
ReleasedFebruary 2018September 2012Fresher by 66 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display dimension3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k460kCrisper display (+577k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K-1 II

 E-PL5 K-1 II 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 features outside measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Pentax K-1 II has sizing of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") having a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL5 against the K-1 II.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and K-1 II is 88 and 55 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizing merely by checking out a spec sheet. The visual here may give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and K-1 II.

As you can see, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-1 II will produce more detail utilizing its extra 20 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images much more aggressively. The older E-PL5 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-1 II as a Portrait photography camera
71
you can focus manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
exports RAW files
86
focusing manually
megapixel count high (36MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography highlights
Pentax K-1 II Street photography highlights
85
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
comes with touch focus
good ISO range (25,600)
70
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
above average high ISO (819,200)
more heavy than competition in class (1,010 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-1 II Sports photography highlights
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect AF
77
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count high (36MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proof
has phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (4.4 frames/s)
bad battery life (670 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL5
Travel photography with Pentax K-1 II
75
comes with touch focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
no Time Lapse function
53
environment proof
megapixel count high (36 megapixels)
bad battery life (670 shots)
more heavy than competition in class (1,010 grams)
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography info
Pentax K-1 II Landscape photography info
74
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
no Time Lapse function
82
focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF4 mount)
good sized screen (3.2 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count high (36MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
does not have low pass filter
above average high ISO (819,200)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
two card slots
bad battery life (670 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging details
Pentax K-1 II Vlogging details
78
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
no external mic jack
32
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external microphone socket
does not offer selfie friendly display
more heavy than competition in class (1,010g)
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-1 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K-1 II
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Pentax K-1 Mark II
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Pentax K-1 Mark II
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2012-09-17 2018-02-22
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - PRIME IV
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 36 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 7360 x 4912
Maximum native ISO 25600 819200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 33
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF4
Number of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fully Articulated
Display size 3 inch 3.2 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames per second 4.4 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250s 1/200s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 grams (0.72 lbs) 1010 grams (2.23 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 137 x 110 x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 images 670 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Card slots 1 2
Retail pricing $400 $1,737