Olympus E-300 vs Olympus PEN-F

In this article, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-300 and Olympus PEN-F, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and both of them are offered by Olympus. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and PEN-F (20MP) but they possess the same exact sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-300 was launched 12 years earlier than the PEN-F and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a thorough comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-300 matches up vs the PEN-F for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-300 and Olympus PEN-F. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-300 Gallery and Olympus PEN-F Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera frequently, you will need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-300 features physical measurements of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") having a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) whilst the Olympus PEN-F has sizing of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") along with a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-300 and Olympus PEN-F in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the E-300 against the PEN-F.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and PEN-F is 67 and 84 respectively.

In many cases, it is hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizing merely by researching specifications. The visual here may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-300 and PEN-F.

To sum up, each of the cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same resolution. You should count on the Olympus PEN-F to provide you with more detail utilizing its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots a little more aggressively. The older E-300 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.