Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-r

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K-r, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and K-r (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and K-r (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL5 was unveiled 19 months after the K-r which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-r being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the E-PL5 scores versus the K-r for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Pentax K-r. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Pentax K-r Gallery.

For those who are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 comes with exterior measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Pentax K-r has measurements of 125mm x 97mm x 68mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 598 grams (1.32 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K-r in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL5 versus the K-r.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and K-r is 88 and 67 respectively.

Normally, it's tough to see the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reading technical specs. The pic here will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and K-r.

As you have seen, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Olympus E-PL5 will offer you more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more recent E-PL5 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.