Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K100D

Below is a in-depth review of the Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K100D, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a large difference among the resolutions of the E-PM2 (16MP) and K100D (6MP) and the E-PM2 (Four Thirds) and K100D (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PM2 was manufactured 6 years later than the K100D and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K100D being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a detailed comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-PM2 grades vs the K100D in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PM2 & Pentax K100D. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PM2 Gallery & Pentax K100D Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera regularly, you need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PM2 features outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Pentax K100D has dimensions of 129mm x 93mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K100D in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at the time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PM2 versus the K100D.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM2 and K100D is 89 and 64 respectively.

In many cases, it's tough to visualise the gap in sensor measurements purely by seeing a spec sheet. The visual below should give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PM2 and K100D.

As you can see, both of those cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PM2 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field tougher and the Olympus E-PM2 will show extra detail due to its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a little more aggressively. The more modern E-PM2 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.