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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Pentax ist DL2 front
Portability
69
Imaging
45
Features
33
Overall
40

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2 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
  • Revealed September 2012
Pentax ist DL2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 565g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Introduced January 2006
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2 Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and ist DL2 (6MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and ist DL2 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL5 was manufactured 6 years later than the ist DL2 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-PL5 scores versus the ist DL2 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Pentax ist DL2

 E-PL5 ist DL2 
IntroducedSeptember 2012January 2006Fresher by 81 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k210kClearer display (+250k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DL2 over the Olympus E-PL5

 ist DL2 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax ist DL2

 E-PL5 ist DL2 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry your camera often, you should factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 provides 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) whilst the Pentax ist DL2 has dimensions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the ist DL2.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and ist DL2 is 88 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very difficult to envision the contrast in sensor sizing just by going through specifications. The visual underneath will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and ist DL2.

Plainly, the 2 cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Olympus E-PL5 will provide more detail due to its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images more aggressively. The younger E-PL5 will have an edge in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography info
Pentax ist DL2 Portrait photography info
71
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
51
you can focus manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
megapixel count low (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography advice
Pentax ist DL2 Street photography advice
85
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
has focus via touch
above average high ISO (25,600)
60
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
lighter than others (565 grams)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography information
Pentax ist DL2 Sports photography information
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect AF
39
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
low fps (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography features
Pentax ist DL2 Travel photography features
75
has focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse function
52
lighter than others (565g)
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (6MP)
display is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL5
Landscape photography with Pentax ist DL2
74
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
lack of Time Lapse function
47
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
doesn't have liveview
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (6MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging details
Pentax ist DL2 Vlogging details
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of external mic socket
22
lighter than others (565g)
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video res low ( resolution)
doesn't have mic jack
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Pentax ist DL2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Pentax ist DL2
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Pentax ist DL2
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Pentax ist DL2
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2012-09-17 2006-01-27
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 6 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 3008 x 2008
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 5
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Available lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.5 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 210 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.57x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 -
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 gr (0.72 pounds) 565 gr (1.25 pounds)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 65
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 11.1
DXO Low light rating 889 639
Other
Battery life 360 photos -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC card
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $400 -