Olympus E-PL6 vs Pentax P80

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-PL6 vs Pentax P80, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the E-PL6 (16MP) and P80 (12MP) and the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and P80 (1/2.3") boast different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL6 was introduced 5 years later than the P80 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax P80 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple summary of how the E-PL6 grades versus the P80 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL6 and Pentax Optio P80. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery and Pentax P80 Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL6 has outside dimensions 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 P80 has proportions of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL6 vs Pentax P80 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL6 versus the P80.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL6 and P80 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Quite often, it is tough to picture the gap in sensor measurements just by looking through technical specs. The photograph below will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL6 and P80.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL6 using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL6 will render extra detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The younger E-PL6 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.