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Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Pentax K-r front
Portability
67
Imaging
53
Features
52
Overall
52

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Revealed September 2014
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL6
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-PL8
Pentax K-r
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 598g - 125 x 97 x 68mm
  • Launched March 2011
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL7 (16MP) and K-r (12MP) and the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and K-r (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL7 was released 3 years later than the K-r and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-r being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-PL7 scores vs the K-r when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Pentax K-r

 E-PL7 K-r 
LaunchedSeptember 2014March 2011More recent by 43 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k921kCrisper screen (+116k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-r over the Olympus E-PL7

 K-r E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Pentax K-r

 E-PL7 K-r 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL7 comes with exterior dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-r has measurements of 125mm x 97mm x 68mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.7") along with a weight of 598 grams (1.32 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL7 vs the K-r.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL7 and K-r is 86 and 67 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its hard to see the difference between sensor measurements only by reading specs. The graphic underneath should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL7 and K-r.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL7 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Olympus E-PL7 will offer you greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more modern E-PL7 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Portrait photography features
Pentax K-r Portrait photography features
71
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
exports RAW files
63
you can focus manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection focus
exports RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Street photography highlights
Pentax K-r Street photography highlights
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
includes touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-r as a Sports photography camera
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect auto focus
55
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
low fps (6.0 frames/s)
MP count low (12MP)
terrible battery power (470 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Travel photography advice
Pentax K-r Travel photography advice
85
includes touch to focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
47
has built in flash
terrible battery power (470 shots)
MP count low (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography info
Pentax K-r Landscape photography info
79
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
65
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
terrible battery power (470 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging features
Pentax K-r Vlogging features
78
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
no external mic support
26
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focus
display isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic jack
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax K-r Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Pentax K-r
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Pentax K-r
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL7 Pentax K-r
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2014-09-01 2011-03-11
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 2848
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 81 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 96%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.57x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Trailing Curtain Sync, High-Speed Sync and Wireless Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 357g (0.79 pounds) 598g (1.32 pounds)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 125 x 97 x 68mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 72
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 22.9
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 12.4
DXO Low light score 873 755
Other
Battery life 350 images 470 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-50 D-LI109,4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $499 $1,100