Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 II
85 Imaging
55 Features
78 Overall
64
60 Imaging
57 Features
82 Overall
67
Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs
(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
(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- Superseded the Pentax K-5
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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.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe 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.
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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.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Pentax K-5 II
| E-PL9 | K-5 II | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | February 2018 | June 2013 | More modern by 57 months | |
| Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display | |
| Display resolution | 1040k | 921k | Crisper 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 dimensions | 3" | 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.
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.
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 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications
| Olympus PEN E-PL9 | Pentax 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 |