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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Pentax K-S2 front
Portability
64
Imaging
64
Features
82
Overall
71

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2 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-S2
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 678g - 123 x 91 x 73mm
  • Released February 2015
  • Older Model is Pentax K-S1
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2 Overview

Here is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the K-S2 (20MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and K-S2 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL5 was manufactured 3 years before the K-S2 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a more detailed comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-PL5 scores vs the K-S2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Pentax K-S2

 E-PL5 K-S2 
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-S2 over the Olympus E-PL5

 K-S2 E-PL5 
ReleasedFebruary 2015September 2012Fresher by 29 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K-S2

 E-PL5 K-S2 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size
Selfie screen Both good for selfies

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL5 provides outside dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Pentax K-S2 has specifications of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") having a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL5 vs the K-S2.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and K-S2 is 88 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very difficult to envision the difference between sensor sizing merely by going over technical specs. The visual underneath will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL5 and K-S2.

As you can tell, both cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Pentax K-S2 will deliver extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots far more aggressively. The older E-PL5 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax K-S2 Portrait photography highlights
71
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
exports RAW files
78
you can focus manually
MP count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography features
Pentax K-S2 Street photography features
85
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
includes focus via touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
72
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
great high ISO (51,200)
more heavy than competition in class (678 grams)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-S2 as a Sports photography camera
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect auto focus
70
max shutter speed is good (1/6,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
supports phase detect AF
slow continuous shooting (5.4 frames per second)
bad battery pack (410 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL5
Travel photography with Pentax K-S2
75
includes focus via touch
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
does not have Timelapse mode
65
weather proof
MP count good (20MP)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
bad battery pack (410 per charge)
more heavy than competition in class (678g)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography info
Pentax K-S2 Landscape photography info
74
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
77
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
great high ISO (51,200)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
bad battery pack (410 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging details
Pentax K-S2 Vlogging details
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have external microphone socket
71
display is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external microphone support
more heavy than competition in class (678 grams)
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K-S2
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Pentax K-S2
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Pentax K-S2
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2012-09-17 2015-02-10
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - PRIME MII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 25600 51200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/6000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 8.0fps 5.4fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on, flash on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual flash
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325g (0.72 lb) 678g (1.49 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 123 x 91 x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9")
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 410 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI109
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $400 $581