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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Pentax Optio E85 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
10
Overall
25

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85 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
  • Launched September 2012
Pentax E85
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 32-96mm (F2.9-5.2) lens
  • 145g - 93 x 58 x 24mm
  • Revealed September 2009
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85 Overview

In this write-up, we will be looking at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and E85 (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and E85 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL5 was announced 3 years after the E85 which is quite a sizable 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 E85 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-PL5 grades versus the E85 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Pentax E85

 E-PL5 E85 
RevealedSeptember 2012September 2009More modern by 37 months
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax E85 over the Olympus E-PL5

 E85 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax E85

 E-PL5 E85 

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys physical 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 E85 has sizing of 93mm x 58mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9") and a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the E85.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and E85 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85 Sensor Comparison

Often, its difficult to picture the gap between sensor sizes merely by reviewing specifications. The picture here should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and E85.

Plainly, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL5 will deliver more detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots far more aggressively. The newer E-PL5 should have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography information
Pentax E85 Portrait photography information
71
has manual focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
supports RAW files
21
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
MP count low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography factors
Pentax E85 Street photography factors
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
supports focus by touch
above average high ISO (25,600)
47
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography details
Pentax E85 Sports photography details
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
no phase detect AF
17
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography details
Pentax E85 Travel photography details
75
supports focus by touch
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
does not have Time Lapse recording
51
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse recording
MP count low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (32mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.9)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax E85 as a Landscape photography camera
74
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
does not have Time Lapse recording
23
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (32mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.9)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging details
Pentax E85 Vlogging details
78
selfie friendly screen
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have external mic socket
22
wide angle not fantastic (32mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.9)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 pxls)
does not have microphone support
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax E85 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax E85
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Pentax Optio E85
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Pentax Optio E85
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2012-09-17 2009-09-17
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 32-96mm (3.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.9-5.2
Macro focusing range - 10cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 2s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 3.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) -
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s -
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) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325g (0.72 lbs) 145g (0.32 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 93 x 58 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 shots -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI95
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $400 $0