Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax RS1500

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.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Pentax Optio RS1500. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Pentax RS1500 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.