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Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Pentax Optio RS1500 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
30
Overall
34

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500 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
  • Announced September 2014
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL6
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL8
Pentax RS1500
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Launched March 2011
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the RS1500 (14MP) is very well matched but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and RS1500 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL7 was revealed 3 years later than the RS1500 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-PL7 scores vs the RS1500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Pentax RS1500

 E-PL7 RS1500 
LaunchedSeptember 2014March 2011More recent by 43 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1037k230kClearer display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Olympus E-PL7

 RS1500 E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Pentax RS1500

 E-PL7 RS1500 
Focus manually Very precise focus

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL7 features outer dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Pentax RS1500 has proportions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is a front view size comparison of the E-PL7 against the RS1500.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL7 and RS1500 is 86 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements just by reading through technical specs. The visual underneath will provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL7 and RS1500.

As you have seen, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL7 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL7 will give more detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will help you crop images a bit more aggressively. The newer E-PL7 should have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL7
Portrait photography with Pentax RS1500
71
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
35
focusing manually
good megapixels (14MP)
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Street photography advice
Pentax RS1500 Street photography advice
84
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
comes with focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
54
weather proof
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography factors
Pentax RS1500 Sports photography factors
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
has no phase detect autofocus
37
good megapixels (14MP)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proof
max fps low (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax RS1500 as a Travel photography camera
85
comes with focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
67
weather proof
good megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse function
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax RS1500 Landscape photography highlights
79
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
40
focusing manually
fairly wide (28mm)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
weather proof
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7")
lack of manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging advice
Pentax RS1500 Vlogging advice
78
selfie friendly display
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lack of mic support
25
fairly wide (28mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone port
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Pentax RS1500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Pentax RS1500
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Pentax Optio RS1500
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL7 Pentax Optio RS1500
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2014-09-01 2011-03-16
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1500 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 8.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 357g (0.79 pounds) 157g (0.35 pounds)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 873 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 images 260 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-50 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $499 $150