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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-7

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Pentax K-7 front
Portability
60
Imaging
55
Features
69
Overall
60

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-7 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-7
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 2000 (Increase to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 750g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Introduced October 2009
  • Replacement is Pentax K-5
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-7 Overview

Below is a in depth overview of the Olympus E-PL5 versus Pentax K-7, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the K-7 (15MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and K-7 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL5 was brought out 3 years later than the K-7 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-7 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-PL5 matches up against the K-7 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Pentax K-7

 E-PL5 K-7 
IntroducedSeptember 2012October 2009More recent by 37 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-7 over the Olympus E-PL5

 K-7 E-PL5 
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K-7

 E-PL5 K-7 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-7 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to lug around your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL5 offers outer dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Pentax K-7 has specifications of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 750 grams (1.65 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL5 versus Pentax K-7 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 choose at the time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL5 and the K-7.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-7 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and K-7 is 88 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-7 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to see the difference in sensor measurements only by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL5 and K-7.

As you can see, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 featuring a smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Olympus E-PL5 will show extra detail having its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The younger E-PL5 will have a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL5
Portrait photography with Pentax K-7
71
focusing manually
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
73
you can focus manually
good megapixels (15MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography information
Pentax K-7 Street photography information
85
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
has focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
environment proof
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography features
Pentax K-7 Sports photography features
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
does not have phase detect AF
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (15 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
environment proof
has phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL5
Travel photography with Pentax K-7
75
has focus by touch
MP count good (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
does not have Time Lapse mode
65
environment proof
good megapixels (15 megapixels)
has built in flash
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography information
Pentax K-7 Landscape photography information
74
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
does not have Time Lapse mode
78
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (15 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
environment proof
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-7 as a Vlogging camera
78
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have mic support
25
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external mic socket
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K-7
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Pentax K-7
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Pentax K-7
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Announced 2012-09-17 2009-10-02
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 15MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4672 x 3104
Max native ISO 25600 2000
Max boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Amount of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - TFT color LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 13.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/180 secs
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 1536 x 1024 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325g (0.72 lb) 750g (1.65 lb)
Physical 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 61
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 10.6
DXO Low light score 889 536
Other
Battery life 360 pictures 980 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/MMC
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $400 $599