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Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
60
Imaging
46
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Olympus E-30
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
  • Introduced March 2009
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Launched April 2015
  • Earlier Model is Pentax K-3
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Below is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II, both Advanced DSLR cameras by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-30 was announced 7 years before the K-3 II and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before going straight to a detailed comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-30 matches up versus the K-3 II when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Pentax K-3 II

 E-30 K-3 II 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Olympus E-30

 K-3 II E-30 
LaunchedApril 2015March 2009More recent by 74 months
Display dimensions3.2"2.7"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1037k230kCrisper display (+807k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Pentax K-3 II

 E-30 K-3 II 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-30 comes with outer dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") and a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 II has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-30 vs the K-3 II.

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and K-3 II is 60 and 59 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be difficult to visualise the gap in sensor measurements simply by viewing specs. The photograph here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-30 and K-3 II.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-30 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-3 II will result in more detail with its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older E-30 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-30
Portrait photography with Pentax K-3 II
59
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
low resolution (12 megapixels)
79
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 Street photography details
Pentax K-3 II Street photography details
72
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
very good high ISO (51,200)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-30
Sports photography with Pentax K-3 II
51
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
low resolution (12MP)
terrible battery (750 per charge)
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers tracking focus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low battery (720 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-30
Travel photography with Pentax K-3 II
49
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
missing Timelapse recording
terrible battery (750 per charge)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
56
weather proof
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
low battery (720 shots)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 Landscape photography advice
Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography advice
52
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
low resolution (12MP)
terrible battery (750 per charge)
missing Timelapse recording
78
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a decent size (3.2 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
no low pass filter
very good high ISO (51,200)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
has double storage slots
low battery (720 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 Vlogging info
Pentax K-3 II Vlogging info
18
can't shoot video
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes microphone port
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Pentax K-3 II
 Olympus E-30Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-30 Pentax K-3 II
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2009-03-24 2015-04-23
Body design Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ Prime III
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 12 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 6016 x 4000
Max native ISO 3200 51200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 11 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Total lenses 45 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inches 3.2 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech HyperCrystal II LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0fps 8.3fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync (available with dedicated external flash)
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 695 gr (1.53 pounds) 800 gr (1.76 pounds)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 80
DXO Color Depth rating 21.3 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 13.6
DXO Low light rating 530 1106
Other
Battery life 750 pictures 720 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-1 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Dual
Price at launch $1,299 $829