Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax P70

On this page, we are matching up the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax P70, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and P70 (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and P70 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL5 was manufactured 3 years after the P70 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax P70 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go into a detailed comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-PL5 matches up versus the P70 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Pentax Optio P70. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Pentax P70 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL5 has exterior 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 P70 has specifications of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax P70 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at the time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL5 vs the P70.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and P70 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Typically, it is very difficult to envision the gap between sensor sizes purely by checking specifications. The picture here will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and P70.

Plainly, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will resolve greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The younger E-PL5 will have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.