Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 II

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax K-5 II, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the K-5 II (16MP) is very comparable but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and K-5 II (APS-C) provide different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL9 was released 4 years after the K-5 II which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera 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 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-PL9 grades vs the K-5 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Pentax K-5 II. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Pentax K-5 II Gallery.

If you're looking to carry around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL9 has got external dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 II has dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax K-5 II in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL9 and the K-5 II.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and K-5 II is 85 and 60 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to picture the difference in sensor sizes simply by checking out specs. The pic below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL9 and K-5 II.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide the same megapixels but different sensor sizes. The E-PL9 contains the smaller sensor which will make achieving shallower DOF harder. The fresher E-PL9 provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.