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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-x

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Pentax K-x front
Portability
69
Imaging
52
Features
47
Overall
50

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-x Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Launched September 2012
Pentax K-x
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Bump to 12800)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 580g - 123 x 92 x 68mm
  • Launched December 2009
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-x Overview

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-x, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and K-x (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and K-x (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was announced 2 years after the K-x which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-x being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going through a more detailed comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-PL5 matches up against the K-x in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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

 E-PL5 K-x 
LaunchedSeptember 2012December 2009More modern by 34 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

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

 K-x E-PL5 

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

 E-PL5 K-x 
Manual focus Very accurate focus

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-x Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry around your camera, you will want to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 comes with outside measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Pentax K-x has dimensions of 123mm x 92mm x 68mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-x in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you use during that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL5 versus the K-x.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-x size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and K-x is 88 and 69 respectively.

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

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-x Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very hard to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes just by seeing a spec sheet. The pic below will give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and K-x.

Clearly, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Olympus E-PL5 will provide extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The newer E-PL5 should have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

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

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

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

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-x as a Portrait photography camera
71
manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
exports RAW files
63
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect focus
saves RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-x as a Street photography camera
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
offers focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography factors
Pentax K-x Sports photography factors
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect AF
61
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
better than average battery (1,900 CIPA)
supports phase detect auto focus
slow frames per second (5.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography details
Pentax K-x Travel photography details
75
offers focus by touch
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
doesn't have Timelapse recording
54
better than average battery (1,900 per charge)
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL5
Landscape photography with Pentax K-x
74
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse recording
61
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
better than average battery (1,900 CIPA)
small screen (2.7 inch)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL5
Vlogging with Pentax K-x
78
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone support
27
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focus
screen isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic port
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K-x Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K-x
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Pentax K-x
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Pentax K-x
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2012-09-17 2009-12-23
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Prime
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 2848
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Highest boosted ISO - 12800
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 96 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.57x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 8.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 16.00 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
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 416 (24 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic 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 None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325g (0.72 pounds) 580g (1.28 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 123 x 92 x 68mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 72
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 12.5
DXO Low light score 889 811
Other
Battery life 360 shots 1900 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card
Storage slots One One
Launch cost $400 $600