Olympus E-PL6 vs Pentax E85

On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-PL6 versus Pentax E85, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL6 (16MP) and E85 (12MP) and the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and E85 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL6 was introduced 4 years after the E85 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax E85 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL6 scores vs the E85 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL6 and Pentax Optio E85. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery and Pentax E85 Gallery.

For those who are looking to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL6 comes with external 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 E85 has dimensions of 93mm x 58mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9") with a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL6 versus Pentax E85 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL6 against the E85.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL6 and E85 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to visualise the difference between sensor sizes purely by looking at specifications. The image below should give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL6 and E85.

To sum up, the two cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL6 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL6 will resolve more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The more modern E-PL6 is going to have an edge in sensor tech.