Olympus E-300 vs Olympus E-P2

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-300 and Olympus E-P2, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both designed by Olympus. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and E-P2 (12MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor size (Four Thirds).

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-300 was brought out 6 years earlier than the E-P2 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-300 matches up against the E-P2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-300 & Olympus PEN E-P2. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-300 Gallery & Olympus E-P2 Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera often, you will need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-300 provides external dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") with a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-P2 has specifications of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-300 and Olympus E-P2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-300 versus the E-P2.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-300 and E-P2 is 67 and 86 respectively.

Typically, its tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements only by reading through specs. The photograph here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-300 and E-P2.

All in all, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Olympus E-P2 to resolve extra detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will help you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older E-300 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.