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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 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
  • Announced September 2012
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Launched June 2013
  • Succeeded the Pentax K-5
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

Following is a thorough comparison of the Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 II, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the K-5 II (16MP) is pretty well matched but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and K-5 II (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 8 months before the K-5 II and they are of a similar age. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-PL5 scores vs the K-5 II with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Pentax K-5 II

 E-PL5 K-5 II 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Olympus E-PL5

 K-5 II E-PL5 
LaunchedJune 2013September 2012More modern by 8 months
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K-5 II

 E-PL5 K-5 II 
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry around your camera often, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 offers external measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 II has measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that moment. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL5 against the K-5 II.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 II size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and K-5 II is 88 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes just by looking at specs. The pic here will give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and K-5 II.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have got the exact same resolution albeit not the same sensor sizes. The E-PL5 comes with the tinier sensor which should make getting shallow DOF harder. The more aged E-PL5 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL5
Portrait photography with Pentax K-5 II
71
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
74
focusing manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Street photography camera
85
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
has touch to focus
good ISO range (25,600)
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL5
Sports photography with Pentax K-5 II
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
79
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking focus
environment sealing
has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography features
Pentax K-5 II Travel photography features
75
has touch to focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
does not have Time Lapse recording
65
environment sealing
good resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
display isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography information
Pentax K-5 II Landscape photography information
74
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
does not have Time Lapse recording
79
focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Vlogging camera
78
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have external mic jack
33
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has microphone port
display isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K-5 II
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Pentax K-5 II
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Announced 2012-09-17 2013-06-04
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 51200
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Min boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 35 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Total lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250s -
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 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone 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 Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325 grams (0.72 lb) 760 grams (1.68 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 82
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 14.1
DXO Low light score 889 1235
Other
Battery life 360 pictures 980 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Retail cost $400 $830