Pentax K-r vs Olympus PEN E-P5

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Pentax K-r and the Olympus PEN E-P5, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Pentax K-r was introduced in March 2011 and Olympus PEN E-P5 was introduced in October 2013. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax K-r over Olympus PEN E-P5.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus PEN E-P5 over Pentax K-r.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Pentax K-r and Olympus PEN E-P5 have 3.0" screens with 921k dot and 1,037k dot resolutions respectively. Pentax K-r has a Fixed screen Olympus PEN E-P5 has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Olympus PEN E-P5 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Olympus PEN E-P5) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Pentax K-r has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. It has a 96% coverage and 0.85x (0.57x 35mm equivalent) magnification.Olympus PEN E-P5 does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached.

Pentax K-r features a 12 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.6 x 15.8 mm and a total area of 372.9 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. Olympus PEN E-P5 features a 16.1 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Pentax K-r is equipped with PRIME II processor and can take pictures up to 4288 x 2848 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3936 x 2624, 3072 x 2048, 1728 x 1152 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Olympus PEN E-P5 can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution.

Lens Mount

Pentax K-r has Pentax K_AF2 lens mount and Olympus PEN E-P5 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Pentax K-r its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Olympus PEN E-P5 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

In-Body Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when cameras are paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Olympus PEN E-P5

Olympus PEN E-P5 has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Pentax K-r comes with D-LI109
4 x AA battery pack with battery life of 470 shots.

External Storage Slots

Pentax K-r has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Olympus PEN E-P5 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/6000 sec on Pentax K-r, and up to 1/8000 sec on Olympus PEN E-P5. Pentax K-r can shoot continuously up to 6.0 fps. Olympus PEN E-P5 can shoot continuously up to 9.0 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m at ISO 100 on Pentax K-r and 7.00 m at ISO 100 on Olympus PEN E-P5. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or Wireless connection to Pentax K-r and via Hot Shoe to Olympus PEN E-P5. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec on Pentax K-r and 1/320 sec on Olympus PEN E-P5.

Pentax K-r body has dimensions of 125 x 97 x 68 mm (4.92 x 3.82 x 2.68") and Olympus PEN E-P5 body has dimensions of 122 x 69 x 37 mm (4.8 x 2.72 x 1.46"). Pentax K-r weighs 598 g (1.32 lb / 21.09 oz) and Olympus PEN E-P5 weighs 420 g (0.93 lb / 14.82 oz).

Pentax K-r

Olympus PEN E-P5

125 mm

97 mm

122 mm

69 mm

97 mm

69 mm

68 mm

37 mm