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Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80

Portability
56
Imaging
45
Features
56
Overall
49
Olympus E-3 front
 
Pentax Optio P80 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
23
Overall
30

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 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
  • Old Model is Olympus E-1
  • Later Model is Olympus E-5
Pentax P80
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F2.6-5.8) lens
  • 125g - 102 x 59 x 25mm
  • Released August 2009
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Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 Overview

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-3 and Pentax P80, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the P80 (12MP) is relatively well matched but the E-3 (Four Thirds) and P80 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizes.

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The E-3 was launched 17 months prior to the P80 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax P80 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a full comparison, below is a short view of how the E-3 grades vs the P80 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Pentax P80

 E-3 P80 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax P80 over the Olympus E-3

 P80 E-3 
ReleasedAugust 2009February 2008More recent by 17 months
Screen dimension2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Pentax P80

 E-3 P80 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Touch screen Lack of Touch screen

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera, you need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 comes with outer dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Pentax P80 has specifications of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") along with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-3 and Pentax P80 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-3 versus the P80.

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and P80 is 56 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's tough to picture the gap between sensor measurements merely by reading through specifications. The graphic here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and P80.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-3 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Pentax P80 will give you more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography details
Pentax P80 Portrait photography details
57
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
MP count low (10 megapixels)
27
manual focus
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
low MP (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography factors
Pentax P80 Street photography factors
70
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
55
lighter than average in class (125 grams)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography highlights
Pentax P80 Sports photography highlights
58
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
environment proof
comes with phase detect AF
slow fps (5.0 fps)
MP count low (10MP)
17
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,000 seconds)
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography factors
Pentax P80 Travel photography factors
55
environment proof
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
does not have Timelapse function
MP count low (10MP)
62
lighter than average in class (125 grams)
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
low MP (12 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax P80 Landscape photography highlights
56
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
screen is small (2.5")
MP count low (10MP)
does not have Timelapse function
32
manual focus
fairly wide (28mm)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.6)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
manual mode not available
lack of image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging information
Pentax P80 Vlogging information
18
no video
28
fairly wide (28mm)
lighter than average in class (125 grams)
slow max aperture (f2.6)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of mic socket
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Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Pentax P80
 Olympus E-3Pentax Optio P80
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-3 Pentax Optio P80
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2008-02-20 2009-08-05
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Prime
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 3200 6400
Min native ISO 100 64
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Largest aperture - f/2.6-5.8
Macro focus range - 10cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.5 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m 4.60 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye -
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890g (1.96 pounds) 125g (0.28 pounds)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 102 x 59 x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light score 571 not tested
Other
Battery model - D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $670 $200