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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax RS1500

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Pentax Optio RS1500 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
30
Overall
34

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax RS1500 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
  • Revealed September 2012
Pentax RS1500
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Introduced March 2011
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax RS1500 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL5 versus Pentax RS1500, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the RS1500 (14MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and RS1500 (1/2.3") possess different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 19 months after the RS1500 making the cameras a generation away from one another. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-PL5 grades vs the RS1500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Pentax RS1500

 E-PL5 RS1500 
IntroducedSeptember 2012March 2011More modern by 19 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Olympus E-PL5

 RS1500 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax RS1500

 E-PL5 RS1500 
Manual focus More accurate focus

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax RS1500 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 features outer dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Pentax RS1500 has measurements of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL5 versus Pentax RS1500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL5 against the RS1500.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax RS1500 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and RS1500 is 88 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax RS1500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax RS1500 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to imagine the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading specs. The pic below might provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and RS1500.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 using its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL5 will offer you greater detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos far more aggressively. The more recent E-PL5 should have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax RS1500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography details
Pentax RS1500 Portrait photography details
71
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
exports RAW files
35
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography info
Pentax RS1500 Street photography info
85
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
has focus via touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
54
environment proofing
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography details
Pentax RS1500 Sports photography details
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
no phase detect auto focus
37
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
has tracking focus
environment proofing
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography information
Pentax RS1500 Travel photography information
75
has focus via touch
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
missing Time Lapse recording
67
environment proofing
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
does not posses selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography factors
Pentax RS1500 Landscape photography factors
74
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
missing Time Lapse recording
40
you can focus manually
really wide (28mm)
decent megapixels (14MP)
environment proofing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7 inches)
lack of manual exposure
lack of image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging information
Pentax RS1500 Vlogging information
78
display is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
missing mic socket
25
really wide (28mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic socket
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax RS1500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax RS1500
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Pentax Optio RS1500
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Pentax Optio RS1500
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2012-09-17 2011-03-16
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1500 secs
Continuous shutter rate 8.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 3.90 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic 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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 grams (0.72 pounds) 157 grams (0.35 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photos 260 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Launch cost $400 $150