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Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Pentax K-5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-1
  • New Model is Olympus E-5
Pentax K-5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800 (Expand to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 740g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Released December 2010
  • Succeeded the Pentax K-7
  • Renewed by Pentax K-5 IIs
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Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Pentax K-5

 E-3 K-5 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 over the Olympus E-3

 K-5 E-3 
ReleasedDecember 2010February 2008More recent by 34 months
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution921k230kSharper screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Pentax K-5

 E-3 K-5 
Manually focus More exact focus
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 size comparison

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

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-3
Portrait photography with Pentax K-5
56
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
73
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography features
Pentax K-5 Street photography features
69
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography factors
Pentax K-5 Sports photography factors
57
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
comes with phase detect AF
low fps (5.0 frames/s)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
78
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-5 as a Travel photography camera
55
environment sealing
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
does not have Timelapse function
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
65
weather proofing
megapixel count good (16MP)
built-in flash
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-3
Landscape photography with Pentax K-5
56
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
resolution not great (10MP)
does not have Timelapse function
78
manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging factors
Pentax K-5 Vlogging factors
18
no video shooting
33
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes mic support
display is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Pentax K-5
 Olympus E-3Pentax K-5
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-3 Pentax K-5
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2008-02-20 2010-12-18
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max boosted ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 45 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per sec 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 424 (25, 30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890 gr (1.96 pounds) 740 gr (1.63 pounds)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 82
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 14.1
DXO Low light rating 571 1162
Other
Battery life - 980 photographs
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $670 $800