Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax E85

Below is a thorough review of the Olympus E-PM2 and Pentax E85, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the E-PM2 (16MP) and E85 (12MP) and the E-PM2 (Four Thirds) and E85 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-PM2 was launched 3 years later than the E85 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax E85 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a complete comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-PM2 matches up against the E85 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PM2 and Pentax Optio E85. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-PM2 Gallery and Pentax E85 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera often, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PM2 provides exterior dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Pentax E85 has sizing of 93mm x 58mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PM2 and Pentax E85 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PM2 and the E85.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM2 and E85 is 89 and 95 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be tough to see the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic here should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PM2 and E85.

As you can see, both of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PM2 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PM2 will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The younger E-PM2 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.