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Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-S1

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Pentax K-S1 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
70
Overall
65

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-S1 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
  • Announced February 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-1
  • Successor is Olympus E-5
Pentax K-S1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 558g - 121 x 93 x 70mm
  • Launched August 2014
  • New Model is Pentax K-S2
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Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-S1 Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-3 versus Pentax K-S1, both Advanced DSLR cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and K-S1 (20MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and K-S1 (APS-C) have different sensor size.

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The E-3 was brought out 7 years before the K-S1 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before diving into a full comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-3 grades against the K-S1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Pentax K-S1

 E-3 K-S1 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax K-S1 over the Olympus E-3

 K-S1 E-3 
LaunchedAugust 2014February 2008Newer by 79 months
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Pentax K-S1

 E-3 K-S1 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-S1 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to travel with your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-3 comes with physical dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-S1 has measurements of 121mm x 93mm x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 558 grams (1.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-3 versus Pentax K-S1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose at the time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-3 compared to the K-S1.

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-S1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and K-S1 is 56 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-S1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very tough to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions just by viewing a spec sheet. The picture below will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and K-S1.

Clearly, each of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-3 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-S1 will render extra detail having its extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively. The more aged E-3 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography features
Pentax K-S1 Portrait photography features
56
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (10MP)
77
focusing manually
good megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography factors
Pentax K-S1 Street photography factors
69
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
73
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lighter than average in class (558g)
above average high ISO (51,200)
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography factors
Pentax K-S1 Sports photography factors
57
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
environment proofing
has phase detect AF
low fps (5.0 fps)
low resolution sensor (10MP)
69
high shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second low (5.4 frames per second)
bad battery power (410 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-S1 as a Travel photography camera
55
environment proofing
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
missing Timelapse mode
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
60
lighter than average in class (558g)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
bad battery power (410 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-S1 as a Landscape photography camera
56
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
screen is small (2.5 inches)
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
missing Timelapse mode
73
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
no anti aliasing filter
above average high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW files
bad battery power (410 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging factors
Pentax K-S1 Vlogging factors
18
no video recording
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average in class (558 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone socket
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Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Pentax K-S1
 Olympus E-3Pentax K-S1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-3 Pentax K-S1
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Announced 2008-02-20 2014-08-27
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Prime MII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 3200 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 45 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per sec 5.4 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, auto + redeye, on, on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890g (1.96 lb) 558g (1.23 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 121 x 93 x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 78
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 23.5
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 13.0
DXO Low light score 571 1061
Other
Battery life - 410 photos
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI109
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $670 $339