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Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500

Portability
85
Imaging
55
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Pentax Optio RS1500 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
30
Overall
34

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Raise to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Revealed February 2018
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL8
Pentax RS1500
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Released March 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500 Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the RS1500 (14MP) is relatively close but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and RS1500 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL9 was unveiled 7 years later than the RS1500 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-PL9 scores versus the RS1500 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Pentax RS1500

 E-PL9 RS1500 
ReleasedFebruary 2018March 2011More recent by 85 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper screen (+810k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Olympus E-PL9

 RS1500 E-PL9 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax RS1500

 E-PL9 RS1500 
Manually focus Very precise focus
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL9 provides outer dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) and the Pentax RS1500 has dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL9 compared to the RS1500.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and RS1500 is 85 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its difficult to see the gap in sensor measurements only by viewing technical specs. The graphic underneath should give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL9 and RS1500.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL9 using its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL9 will result in more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The younger E-PL9 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL9
Portrait photography with Pentax RS1500
73
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
35
manual focus
good MP (14MP)
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Street photography advice
Pentax RS1500 Street photography advice
84
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
54
environment proof
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax RS1500 as a Sports photography camera
69
quiet mode (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect AF
37
good MP (14 megapixels)
has tracking focus
environment proof
max frames per second low (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Travel photography information
Pentax RS1500 Travel photography information
77
supports bluetooth
boasts focus by touch
megapixel count good (16MP)
flash built-in
display is not selfie friendly
67
environment proof
good MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL9
Landscape photography with Pentax RS1500
80
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
40
manual focus
relatively wide (28mm)
good MP (14MP)
environment proof
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7")
no manual control
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Vlogging advice
Pentax RS1500 Vlogging advice
35
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
no external microphone socket
25
relatively wide (28mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing mic jack
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax RS1500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax RS1500
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Pentax Optio RS1500
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL9 Pentax Optio RS1500
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2018-02-08 2011-03-16
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Max boosted ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 1,040k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1500 secs
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 8.6fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 380 gr (0.84 lb) 157 gr (0.35 lb)
Physical dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 260 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $599 $150