Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax KP

In this write-up, we will be looking at the Olympus E-PL8 and Pentax KP, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and KP (24MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and KP (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL8 was revealed 4 months before the KP and they are of a similar age. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax KP being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go in to a more detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-PL8 matches up vs the KP with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL8 & Pentax KP. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery & Pentax KP Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL8 enjoys outer measurements 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 KP has proportions of 132mm x 101mm x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0") along with a weight of 703 grams (1.55 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL8 and Pentax KP in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select during that time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PL8 against the KP.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL8 and KP is 86 and 61 respectively.

Usually, it's difficult to envision the gap between sensor dimensions purely by going over technical specs. The image here might offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL8 and KP.

As you have seen, both of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL8 with its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Pentax KP will offer more detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a little more aggressively.