Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80

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.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-3 and Pentax Optio P80. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-3 Gallery and Pentax P80 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.