Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K20D

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-3 versus Pentax K20D, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and K20D (15MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and K20D (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-3 was announced 4 months earlier than the K20D so they are of a similar generation. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before diving in to a in depth comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-3 grades versus the K20D for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 and Pentax K20D. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery and Pentax K20D Gallery.

If you're intending to carry around your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-3 comes with outside measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Pentax K20D has proportions of 142mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

See the Olympus E-3 versus Pentax K20D in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the E-3 vs the K20D.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and K20D is 56 and 59 respectively.

Oftentimes, its difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizes just by going over specs. The pic below might offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-3 and K20D.

All in all, both cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-3 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Pentax K20D will deliver greater detail with its extra 5 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images much more aggressively.