Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax W60

In this article, we are contrasting the Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax W60, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and W60 (10MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and W60 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL9 was manufactured 8 years later than the W60 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax W60 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a in depth comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-PL9 matches up versus the W60 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL9 and Pentax Optio W60. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery and Pentax W60 Gallery.

When you are intending to carry your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL9 features 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) and the Pentax W60 has dimensions of 98mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax W60 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have at that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the E-PL9 compared to the W60.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and W60 is 85 and 94 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizing purely by viewing specifications. The graphic here will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and W60.

To sum up, both of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL9 featuring a larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL9 will provide you with more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics far more aggressively. The newer E-PL9 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.