Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-30

In this article, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-30, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the K-30 (16MP) is relatively close but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and K-30 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-PL8 was manufactured 3 years after the K-30 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-PL8 matches up against the K-30 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL8 and Pentax K-30. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery and Pentax K-30 Gallery.

For those who are going to travel with your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL8 enjoys outside dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Pentax K-30 has specifications of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") having a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-30 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL8 versus the K-30.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL8 and K-30 is 86 and 63 respectively.

Normally, it can be hard to envision the gap in sensor dimensions just by viewing a spec sheet. The picture here might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and K-30.

As you can see, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact megapixels albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The E-PL8 contains the smaller sensor which is going to make achieving shallower depth of field harder. The fresher E-PL8 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.