Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80
56 Imaging
44 Features
56 Overall
48


95 Imaging
35 Features
23 Overall
30
Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 Key Specs
(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
(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

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.

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 Gallery
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.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Pentax P80
E-3 | P80 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Reasons to pick Pentax P80 over the Olympus E-3
P80 | E-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | August 2009 | ![]() | February 2008 | More recent by 17 months |
Screen dimension | 2.7" | ![]() | 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 resolution | 230k | ![]() | 230k | Equal 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.
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.

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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax P80 Specifications
Olympus E-3 | Pentax 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 |