Clicky

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
85
Imaging
55
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Announced February 2018
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL8
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Raise to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Revealed June 2013
  • Superseded the Pentax K-5
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

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.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

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.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
	
	

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

 E-PL9 K-5 II 
RevealedFebruary 2018June 2013More modern by 57 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1040k921kCrisper display (+119k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

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

 K-5 II E-PL9 

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

 E-PL9 K-5 II 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

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

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

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

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

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.

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

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

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Portrait photography camera
73
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
saves RAW files
74
you can focus manually
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL9
Street photography with Pentax K-5 II
84
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
features focus by touch
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
no articulating screen
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Sports photography factors
Pentax K-5 II Sports photography factors
69
silent shooting (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
does not have phase detect AF
79
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proof
has phase detect AF
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Travel photography features
Pentax K-5 II Travel photography features
77
has bluetooth
features focus by touch
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
built-in flash
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
65
weather proof
MP count good (16MP)
built-in flash
display is not selfie friendly
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Landscape photography features
Pentax K-5 II Landscape photography features
80
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
79
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL9
Vlogging with Pentax K-5 II
35
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
doesn't have mic jack
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external mic support
display is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax K-5 II
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL9 Pentax K-5 II
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Announced 2018-02-08 2013-06-04
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VIII Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias 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 200 100
RAW images
Minimum boosted ISO 100 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 121 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 1,040 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting rate 8.6fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes 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
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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 480 (25, 30 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 380 gr (0.84 lbs) 760 gr (1.68 lbs)
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 rating not tested 82
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 1235
Other
Battery life 350 photos 980 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $599 $830