Olympus E-PL6 vs Pentax RZ10: A Hands-On Camera Comparison for the Enthusiast

When diving into the realm of affordable cameras, you’ll find a sprawling spectrum of designs and capabilities. Today, I’m putting the Olympus PEN E-PL6 - an entry-level mirrorless camera - head-to-head with the Pentax Optio RZ10, a small sensor compact model. On paper, these cameras cater to very different user profiles, but both aim to deliver solid image quality and usability for their price points. Having spent extensive hours testing them, I’ll break down their real-world performance across key photography genres, plus the technical grit behind their design, to help you decide which suits your needs best.

First Impressions: Form Factor and Handling

Before snapping a single image, size, ergonomics, and controls dictate how comfortable a camera feels during those marathon shoots or fleeting street moments.

The Olympus E-PL6 sports the classic rangefinder-style mirrorless body common to Olympus PEN models - compact yet substantially built, with a reassuring heft of 325 grams and dimensions of roughly 111 x 64 x 38 mm. Its solid grip and thoughtfully placed buttons facilitate quick adjustments without fumbling. The camera offers a tilting 3-inch touchscreen - a feature that becomes surprisingly handy for awkward angles or selfies.

In contrast, the Pentax RZ10 is even smaller, 178 grams and 97 x 61 x 33 mm, truly pocketable due to its compact point-and-shoot design. It has a fixed 2.7-inch LCD with lower resolution and no touch capability, which sometimes makes menu navigation less fluid. The RZ10 feels toy-like compared to the E-PL6, but that’s expected given its ultra-portable aim.

From the top view, Olympus' well-considered dial and mode selector contrast with Pentax’s minimalistic control cluster. The E-PL6’s inclusion of dedicated buttons and a rear dial lets you toggle shutter speed, aperture priority, and exposure compensation manually - vital for enthusiasts who want control. Pentax RZ10, on the other hand, offers largely automatic operation with limited manual override, which will suit casual shooters but frustrate those wanting granular exposure control.

Sensor Size and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter

The one undeniably key technical difference is the sensor size, a core determinant of image quality potential.

Olympus packs a Four Thirds sized CMOS sensor - measuring 17.3 x 13 mm with 16 megapixels - a classical mirrorless sensor size that balances resolution, dynamic range, and depth of field control effectively. This gives the E-PL6 a clear edge in image quality over the Pentax RZ10's tiny 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor at 6.08 x 4.56 mm and roughly 14 megapixels.

In practical terms, the E-PL6’s sensor captures cleaner images with less noise at higher ISOs, truer colors, and much better dynamic range. Shadows hold more detail, highlights recover nicely, and low-light shots retain definition. The RZ10, while decent for daylight and snapshots, struggles beyond ISO 800 due to its small sensor and older CCD tech, resulting in grain and softer detail.

Additionally, the anti-aliasing filter present on both slightly limits razor-sharp resolution, but the Olympus’s sensor architecture and newer TruePic VI processor push image fidelity quite a bit further.

Focusing Systems and Autofocus Speed

For any enthusiast, autofocus (AF) performance can make or break the shooting experience, especially in action or candid scenarios.

The Olympus E-PL6 features a contrast-detection system with 35 focus points and face detection - plus touch-to-focus on its screen. While it lacks phase detection AF (which usually grants faster results), its AF is fairly quick and reliable in good light, locking focus within fractions of a second. Continuous AF, tracking, and selective AF are supported, which benefits portrait and wildlife shooters attempting to maintain sharpness on moving subjects.

Pentax’s RZ10 offers a more basic contrast-detection AF with just 9 points and no face or eye detection - a limiting factor for portrait or sports photography. Autofocus speed is noticeably slower, especially in low light, often resulting in hunting or missed shots for moving subjects. It does have tracking, but you’ll find it far less responsive.

My takeaway: the E-PL6 is the better choice if autofocus precision and speed matter to you, especially coupled with a Micro Four Thirds lens lineup that offers fast primes and telephotos.

Shooting Experience: Speed, Burst, and Exposure Modes

Burst shooting rates and the flexibility of exposure settings directly affect your ability to capture fleeting moments.

The Olympus E-PL6 supports a continuous shooting rate of 8 frames per second - quite nimble for an entry-level mirrorless. This makes it respectable for casual sports or wildlife photography in decent light. Plus, manual, aperture priority, and shutter priority modes are built in alongside exposure compensation - features lacking on the Pentax RZ10.

In comparison, the RZ10 shoots just one frame per second in continuous mode - severely limiting its practicality for any action shots. Manual exposure modes are absent, meaning you’re relying primarily on fully automatic or program modes. For an enthusiast who enjoys creative exposure control and burst shooting, this is a crucial limitation.

LCD Screen and Viewfinder: How You Frame Your Shots

Both absence and quality of an optical or electronic viewfinder can influence shooting comfort, especially under bright daylight.

Olympus’s E-PL6 dispenses with an integrated EVF but offers optional external viewfinders. Its 3-inch tilting touchscreen, sporting 460k dots resolution, provides vibrant color reproduction and touch-to-focus functionality - invaluable when composing off-angle. This flexibility adds to usability in landscapes or street photography, where your shooting stance might vary.

Pentax RZ10 lacks any viewfinder option entirely and has a fixed 2.7-inch LCD with just 230k dots. While it uses an anti-reflective coating, it’s still tough to compose in sunlight, and without touch capabilities, focusing can feel clunky.

Lens Ecosystem: The Range of Possibilities

A major boon of the Olympus E-PL6 is its Micro Four Thirds mount with access to over 100 native lenses, including primes with wide apertures, telephoto zooms, and specialty optics like macros and fisheyes. This lens flexibility supports growth for photographers leaning into different genres.

Olympus E PL6 front Olympus E PL6 screen back Pentax RZ10 front Pentax RZ10 screen back

Pentax’s RZ10 has a fixed 28–280mm (10x zoom equivalent) lens with a variable aperture of f/3.2 to f/5.9 - adequate for travel or casual shooting but limited in creative options, especially when wider apertures for low-light or portrait bokeh are preferred.

Durability, Weather Sealing, and Build Quality

Build quality and weather resistance often go unnoticed until a tough shooting condition exposes a camera’s weaknesses.

The Olympus E-PL6, while not weather sealed, features solid build with an aluminum alloy body and sturdy construction typical of mirrorless models at this level. It’s more robust for regular outdoor use than many compacts.

Interestingly, the Pentax RZ10 does include environmental sealing, which is quite unusual for a small compact. This makes it more tolerant to dust and moisture - an advantage for casual travelers in unpredictable conditions, although it’s not shockproof or freezeproof.

Battery Life and Storage

Battery endurance is a practical concern depending on your shooting habits and travel plans.

Olympus E-PL6 delivers an estimated 360 shots per charge (CIPA rating), a respectable figure for mirrorless cameras of this generation. Its BLS-5 battery also balances compactness with runtime. The camera supports SD/SDHC/SDXC cards and has a single memory slot.

Pentax’s RZ10, by comparison, offers around 178 shots per charge - relatively modest but somewhat typical for small sensor compacts with smaller batteries. It also accepts SD and SDHC cards but uniquely includes internal storage, handy for emergencies but limited in capacity.

Connectivity and Video Capabilities

In a world increasingly dependent on sharing and multimedia, video specs and wireless connectivity can tip the scales.

The Olympus E-PL6 records full HD 1080p video at 30fps using MPEG-4 and Motion JPEG. While it does not support 4K or advanced video codecs, the footage is decent for web and casual use. It features Eye-Fi wireless compatibility but lacks Bluetooth and NFC. HDMI out and USB 2.0 are available.

Pentax RZ10 tops out at 720p video at 30fps and only Motion JPEG format, with no advanced connectivity options except Eye-Fi. It also lacks microphone or headphone jacks, limiting audio quality control.

Practical Performance Insights Across Photographic Genres

Now that we’ve covered specs and build, let’s look at how these two cameras fare in typical photographic situations.

Portrait Photography

Accurate skin tone reproduction, pleasing bokeh, and precise eye detection are key here.

The E-PL6’s larger sensor creates better subject isolation with shallower depth of field when paired with fast primes or even the 14-42mm kit lens. Its face and eye detection AF ensure sharp focus on eyes even if your subject moves slightly. Skin tones render naturally with good color depth thanks to the Four Thirds sensor.

The RZ10’s smaller sensor limits background blur, leading to flatter portraits. Additionally, no face detection means more manual effort to nail critical focus. Skin tones appear less nuanced, and noise in dim environments can detract from complexion smoothness.

Landscape Photography

Wide dynamic range, high resolution, and weather sealing matter a lot outdoors.

Thanks to superior sensor dynamics and a 16MP resolution, the Olympus captures landscapes with good detail retention in the highlights and shadows, especially when shooting RAW. The tilting screen helps compose low-angle shots, and a variety of landscape-friendly lenses provide range from wide to telephoto.

Though the RZ10 has a versatile 28-280mm zoom, its small sensor leads to poorer detail and compressed dynamic range, which weakens shadow transitions and highlight recovery. However, its environmental sealing offers peace of mind in mist or dust.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

Speed, autofocus precision, and burst shooting dominate in these fast-paced genres.

The E-PL6, with an 8fps burst and 35-point AF system, manages casual wildlife photography well, especially when paired with compatible telephoto lenses. Tracking performance is decent, but it’s still not designed for professional sports shooters demanding lightning-fast tracking and pro-grade autofocus.

The RZ10, with its 1fps burst and slow AF, is virtually unsuitable for wildlife or sports purposes beyond posed or stationary captures.

Street and Travel Photography

Portability, discretion, low light performance, and versatility are critical here.

The RZ10 shines in portability, fitting easily into pockets and offering a 10x zoom to capture near and far scenes without lens changes. Its environmental seal might help in rainy urban strolls. But limited manual controls and modest sensor quality hamper low-light candid shots.

The Olympus E-PL6 trades some compactness for versatility, build, and image quality. It’s still small enough for streetwalking, and you gain better control over exposure, higher ISO performance, and creative lens choices, making it my pick for serious travel enthusiasts.

Macro and Close-Up Photography

Critical here is focusing precision, magnification, and stabilization.

While neither camera offers focus stacking or dedicated macro modes, the E-PL6’s lens selection includes potent macro options and its sensor-shift stabilization helps handhold sharp close-ups. The RZ10 can focus as close as 1cm, handy for casual macro shooting, but suffers from limited resolution and higher noise in detailed shots.

Night and Astrophotography

Low noise, high ISO capability, and manual controls define success.

Olympus’s sensor handles up to ISO 25600 (native), which is generous for this category, and manual exposure lets you dial in long shutter speeds. Noise reduction keeps stars crisp while maintaining detail. The lack of an electronic viewfinder, however, makes composing long exposures under dark skies slightly trickier.

The Pentax’s max ISO of 6400 is restrictive with more noise at night, and absent manual modes limit astrophotographers seeking star trails or Milky Way shots.

Video Production

If you want to capture moving images, frame size, stabilization, and audio input become important.

The Olympus E-PL6 shoots full HD videos reasonably well with sensor-based image stabilization reducing jitter. However, lack of microphone input limits sound recording quality - a downgrade for vloggers or filmmakers. Its touchscreen aids focus during live video.

Pentax’s maximum 720p video resolution and absence of HDMI or audio ports make it more of a casual video option.

Professional Use and Workflow Integration

For professionals, reliability, robust build, flexible file formats, and workflow compatibility matter.

Olympus supports RAW shooting, allowing full image editing flexibility. Its sturdy build and mature lens ecosystem cater well to professional needs on a budget. USB 2.0 and HDMI ensure reliable tethered shooting and monitoring.

Pentax lacks RAW support. Its compact form and limited controls diminish appeal to pros, though casual users and non-demanding professionals might still appreciate its portability.

Summarizing Performance Scores and Genre Suitability

To visually reinforce my analysis, here are consolidated performance ratings based on extensive real-world testing.

(Each camera’s total score reflects image quality, AF speed, handling, and versatility.)

Olympus E-PL6 scores notably higher across most genres, especially portrait, landscape, and wildlife, with solid marks in street and travel. Pentax RZ10’s strengths lie in portability and casual outdoor use but falter in demanding scenarios.

Final Thoughts: Which One Should You Buy?

Both cameras offer value but serve very different user profiles.

• Choose Olympus E-PL6 if:
  You are a photography enthusiast seeking a flexible mirrorless system with better image quality, manual controls, and lens options. It excels in portraits, landscapes, and low-light work. Its almost professional feature set and solid ergonomics make it a worthy investment for growing your skills.

• Choose Pentax RZ10 if:
  You want a tiny, weather-sealed compact for casual travel and everyday snaps with a versatile zoom but don't mind sacrificing image quality or advanced controls. If you prize ultra-portability and usability over creative flexibility, the RZ10 fits the bill and is budget-friendly.

In my extensive testing, the Olympus E-PL6 consistently outperformed the RZ10 in critical areas, making it my preferred choice for those serious about photography. Pentax’s model caters to a niche looking for bare-bones simplicity and the smallest cruising companion.

I hope this deep dive helps you navigate your camera choice effectively. Remember, the best camera is the one that fits your vision, habits, and creative ambitions - so use this info to find your perfect match.

Happy shooting!

Appendix: Summary Table of Key Specifications

Thanks for reading - stay tuned for more hands-on, practical camera comparisons!