Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-1

Here is a in depth comparison of the Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax K-1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and K-1 (Full frame) come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL9 was launched 2 years later than the K-1 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-PL9 scores vs the K-1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Pentax K-1. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Pentax K-1 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry your camera regularly, you need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL9 provides outer dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) while the Pentax K-1 has specifications of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") with a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax K-1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL9 and the K-1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL9 and K-1 is 85 and 55 respectively.

More often than not, it is very hard to visualise the gap between sensor sizing just by going over specifications. The photograph here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and K-1.

To sum up, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL9 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-1 will deliver extra detail utilizing its extra 20 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The fresher E-PL9 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.