Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-3 versus Pentax K-5, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and K-5 (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and K-5 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor size.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The E-3 was announced 3 years prior to the K-5 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-3 grades versus the K-5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-3 & Pentax K-5. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Pentax K-5 Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-3 provides outside measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 has dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-3 versus Pentax K-5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at the time. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-3 against the K-5.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and K-5 is 56 and 60 respectively.

Often, it is very tough to envision the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reading a spec sheet. The visual here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-3 and K-5.

As you can see, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-3 with its tinier sensor will make achieving bokeh trickier and the Pentax K-5 will deliver extra detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.