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Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5

Portability
85
Imaging
55
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Pentax K-5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Raise to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Introduced February 2018
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL8
Pentax K-5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800 (Expand to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 740g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Released December 2010
  • Superseded the Pentax K-7
  • Later Model is Pentax K-5 IIs
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 Overview

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the K-5 (16MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and K-5 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL9 was released 7 years later than the K-5 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a short view of how the E-PL9 scores versus the K-5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Pentax K-5

 E-PL9 K-5 
ReleasedFebruary 2018December 2010Fresher by 87 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1040k921kCrisper screen (+119k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 over the Olympus E-PL9

 K-5 E-PL9 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax K-5

 E-PL9 K-5 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera, you have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL9 has physical dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 has proportions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL9 versus the K-5.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL9 and K-5 is 85 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be difficult to envision the difference between sensor sizing just by reading a spec sheet. The visual here should offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL9 and K-5.

Clearly, the 2 cameras have the same megapixel count albeit not the same sensor sizing. The E-PL9 comes with the tinier sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow DOF more difficult. The newer E-PL9 is going to have an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-5 as a Portrait photography camera
73
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW formats
73
focusing manually
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Street photography highlights
Pentax K-5 Street photography highlights
84
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
supports touch to focus
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Sports photography advice
Pentax K-5 Sports photography advice
69
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
78
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
environment sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-5 Travel photography highlights
77
has bluetooth
supports touch to focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
65
environment sealing
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-5 as a Landscape photography camera
80
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
78
focusing manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL9
Vlogging with Pentax K-5
35
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focus
great video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
doesn't have microphone port
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone port
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax K-5
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Pentax K-5
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL9 Pentax K-5
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2018-02-08 2010-12-18
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VIII Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max boosted ISO 25600 51200
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW data
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 121 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Total lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,040 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 8.6fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 424 (25, 30 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 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 Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 380g (0.84 lb) 740g (1.63 lb)
Physical dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 82
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.1
DXO Low light score not tested 1162
Other
Battery life 350 shots 980 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $599 $800