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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Expand to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Announced January 2005
  • Also Known as EVOLT E-300
  • Renewed by Olympus E-330
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Announced April 2014
  • Earlier Model is Pentax 645D
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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax 645Z Overview

Below is a detailed analysis of the Olympus E-300 versus Pentax 645Z, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Pro DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and 645Z (Medium format) come with different sensor sizing.

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The E-300 was announced 10 years earlier than the 645Z and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-300 scores versus the 645Z in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Pentax 645Z

 E-300 645Z 

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Olympus E-300

 645Z E-300 
AnnouncedApril 2014January 2005More recent by 112 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3.2"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.4")
Screen resolution1037k134kClearer screen (+903k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Pentax 645Z

 E-300 645Z 
Manually focus Very precise focus
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

If you're going to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-300 comes with physical measurements of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) and the Pentax 645Z has proportions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") accompanied by a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-300 versus Pentax 645Z in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at that time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-300 and the 645Z.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and 645Z is 67 and 49 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

Usually, its tough to imagine the gap in sensor measurements only by researching specifications. The photograph below should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-300 and 645Z.

To sum up, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-300 having a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax 645Z will render greater detail with its extra 43 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older E-300 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax 645Z as a Portrait photography camera
48
you can focus manually
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview
low MP (8MP)
88
you can focus manually
megapixel count great (51 megapixels)
big sensor size (Medium format)
has face detection focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Street photography camera
Pentax 645Z as a Street photography camera
51
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
63
screen tilts up and down
big sensor size (Medium format)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
very good ISO range (204,800)
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition (1,550 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 Sports photography advice
Pentax 645Z Sports photography advice
37
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
no liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
low MP (8MP)
71
megapixel count great (51 megapixels)
big sensor size (Medium format)
has tracking autofocus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
max frames per second low (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low battery pack (650 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 Travel photography highlights
Pentax 645Z Travel photography highlights
45
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse function
low MP (8MP)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
51
environment proofing
megapixel count great (51MP)
low battery pack (650 shots)
more heavy than competition (1,550 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-300
Landscape photography with Pentax 645Z
43
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
tiny screen (1.8")
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
low MP (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
does not have Timelapse function
78
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inches)
megapixel count great (51MP)
big sensor size (Medium format)
does not have anti aliasing filter
very good ISO range (204,800)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
has double storage slots
lack of image stabilization
low battery pack (650 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 Vlogging highlights
Pentax 645Z Vlogging highlights
9
can't shoot video
27
has face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external microphone port
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition (1,550g)
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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Pentax 645Z
 Olympus E-300Pentax 645Z
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-300 Pentax 645Z
Otherwise known as EVOLT E-300 -
Type Advanced DSLR Pro DSLR
Announced 2005-01-10 2014-04-15
Body design Mid-size SLR Large SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - PRIME III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 51 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Highest Possible resolution 3264 x 2448 8256 x 6192
Maximum native ISO 400 204800
Maximum enhanced ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 3 27
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Number of lenses 45 6
Focal length multiplier 2.1 0.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 1.8 inch 3.2 inch
Resolution of display 134k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye 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
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180s 1/125s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p,24p)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 624 grams (1.38 pounds) 1550 grams (3.42 pounds)
Dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 101
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 4505
Other
Battery life - 650 photographs
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Storage slots Single Dual
Retail cost $800 $5,024