Clicky

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x

Portability
86
Imaging
55
Features
76
Overall
63
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Pentax K-x front
Portability
69
Imaging
52
Features
47
Overall
50

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x Key Specs

Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Revealed September 2016
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL7
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL9
Pentax K-x
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Push to 12800)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 580g - 123 x 92 x 68mm
  • Launched December 2009
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x Overview

The following is a complete assessment of the Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and K-x (12MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and K-x (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-PL8 was announced 6 years after the K-x which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-x being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-PL8 scores vs the K-x for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Pentax K-x

 E-PL8 K-x 
LaunchedSeptember 2016December 2009Newer by 83 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1037k230kCrisper display (+807k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-x over the Olympus E-PL8

 K-x E-PL8 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Pentax K-x

 E-PL8 K-x 
Focus manually More precise focus
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera often, you should factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL8 enjoys external measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") having a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Pentax K-x has sizing of 123mm x 92mm x 68mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL8 against the K-x.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL8 and K-x is 86 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reading through a spec sheet. The pic here may provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL8 and K-x.

Clearly, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL8 having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Olympus E-PL8 will resolve greater detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The fresher E-PL8 should have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Portrait photography info
Pentax K-x Portrait photography info
73
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
63
manual focus
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detection focus
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Street photography highlights
Pentax K-x Street photography highlights
84
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has touch focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
no moving screen
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Sports photography advice
Pentax K-x Sports photography advice
67
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
has no phase detect AF
61
great max shutter speed (1/6,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
good battery life (1,900 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-x as a Travel photography camera
72
has touch focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
54
good battery life (1,900 shots)
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse function
sensor resolution low (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax K-x Landscape photography highlights
80
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
61
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
good battery life (1,900 per charge)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
lack of Time Lapse function
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-x as a Vlogging camera
36
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing external microphone port
27
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focus
display isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external mic socket
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax K-x Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Pentax K-x
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Pentax K-x
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL8 Pentax K-x
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2016-09-19 2009-12-23
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Prime
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor 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
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 2848
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Highest enhanced ISO - 12800
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Amount of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 96%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.57x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/6000s
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 16.00 m
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear curtain, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 416 (24 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 357g (0.79 pounds) 580g (1.28 pounds)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 123 x 92 x 68mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 72
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.5
DXO Low light score not tested 811
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 1900 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC card
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $500 $600