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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K20D

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Pentax K20D front
Portability
59
Imaging
54
Features
52
Overall
53

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K20D 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 K20D
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200 (Raise to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 142 x 101 x 70mm
  • Announced June 2008
  • Succeeded the Pentax K10D
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K20D Overview

In this article, we will be looking at the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K20D, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the K20D (15MP) is relatively close but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and K20D (APS-C) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL5 was launched 4 years after the K20D which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K20D being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a full comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-PL5 grades versus the K20D with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Pentax K20D

 E-PL5 K20D 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012June 2008More modern by 52 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K20D over the Olympus E-PL5

 K20D E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K20D

 E-PL5 K20D 
Manual focus Very precise focusing

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K20D Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys external dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Pentax K20D has sizing of 142mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K20D in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL5 vs the K20D.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K20D size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and K20D is 88 and 59 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K20D top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K20D Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes purely by researching specifications. The picture here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and K20D.

To sum up, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 featuring a smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Olympus E-PL5 will result in extra detail utilizing its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots far more aggressively. The fresher E-PL5 will have a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K20D sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K20D Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K20D Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL5
Portrait photography with Pentax K20D
71
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
72
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (15 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL5
Street photography with Pentax K20D
85
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
boasts touch to focus
above average ISO range (25,600)
65
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography information
Pentax K20D Sports photography information
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
lacks phase detect AF
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (15MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
weather sealing
comes with phase detect auto focus
low fps (3.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL5
Travel photography with Pentax K20D
75
boasts touch to focus
resolution is good (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
64
weather sealing
sensor resolution is decent (15 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography details
Pentax K20D Landscape photography details
74
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
71
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (15 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K20D as a Vlogging camera
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have mic socket
9
no video recording
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax K20D Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax K20D
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Pentax K20D
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Pentax K20D
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Launched 2012-09-17 2008-06-25
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 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
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4672 x 3104
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Total lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in 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, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG -
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325g (0.72 lbs) 800g (1.76 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 142 x 101 x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 65
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 22.9
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 11.1
DXO Low light score 889 639
Other
Battery life 360 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 D-LI50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $400 $700