Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-3
67 Imaging
41 Features
31 Overall
37
59 Imaging
64 Features
85 Overall
72
Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 1.8" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 400 (Push to 1600)
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
- Introduced January 2005
- Additionally referred to as EVOLT E-300
- Renewed by Olympus E-330
(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 2014
- Successor is Pentax K-3 II
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Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus E-300 and Pentax K-3, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and K-3 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizes.
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banThe E-300 was released 10 years earlier than the K-3 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).
Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-300 grades vs the K-3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-300 and Pentax K-3. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-300 Gallery and Pentax K-3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Pentax K-3
| E-300 | K-3 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 over the Olympus E-300
| K-3 | E-300 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | April 2014 | January 2005 | More recent by 112 months | |
| Display dimensions | 3.2" | 1.8" | Larger display (+1.4") | |
| Display resolution | 1037k | 134k | Sharper display (+903k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Pentax K-3
| E-300 | K-3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus | Very accurate focusing | |||
| Display type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed display | |
| Selfie screen | Lack of selfie screen | |||
| Touch display | Lack of Touch display |
Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-3 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-300 has got exterior measurements of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") and a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-3 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-300 and Pentax K-3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the E-300 and the K-3.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and K-3 is 67 and 59 respectively.
Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-3 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it can be difficult to imagine the difference between sensor measurements simply by reading through technical specs. The graphic here may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-300 and K-3.
As you have seen, the two cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-300 due to its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Pentax K-3 will give you greater detail as a result of its extra 16 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images more aggressively. The older E-300 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.
Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-3 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-3 Specifications
| Olympus E-300 | Pentax K-3 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Manufacturer | Olympus | Pentax |
| Model | Olympus E-300 | Pentax K-3 |
| Otherwise known as | EVOLT E-300 | - |
| Category | Advanced DSLR | Advanced DSLR |
| Introduced | 2005-01-10 | 2014-04-10 |
| Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Mid-size SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | - | Prime III |
| Sensor type | CCD | 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 | 8 megapixel | 24 megapixel |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 |
| Maximum resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 6016 x 4000 |
| Maximum native ISO | 400 | 51200 |
| Maximum boosted ISO | 1600 | - |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW support | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focus | ||
| Autofocus touch | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Tracking autofocus | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detection focus | ||
| Contract detection focus | ||
| Phase detection focus | ||
| Number of focus points | 3 | 27 |
| Cross focus points | - | 25 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Pentax KAF2 |
| Number of lenses | 45 | 151 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Screen diagonal | 1.8" | 3.2" |
| Resolution of screen | 134 thousand dots | 1,037 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch operation | ||
| Screen tech | - | TFT LCD monitor |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.64x |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/8000 secs |
| Continuous shooting rate | 3.0fps | 8.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Change white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash range | - | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) |
| Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, on, off, red-eye, slow sync, slow sync + red-eye, trailing curtain sync, high speed, wireless, manual |
| External flash | ||
| AEB | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Maximum flash synchronize | 1/180 secs | 1/180 secs |
| 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) |
| Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
| Video data format | - | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Microphone port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| 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 sealing | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 624 grams (1.38 pounds) | 800 grams (1.76 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") | 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around score | not tested | 80 |
| DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 23.7 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 13.4 |
| DXO Low light score | not tested | 1216 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | - | 560 photos |
| Battery type | - | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | - | D-LI90 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II) | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Card slots | 1 | Dual |
| Launch pricing | $800 | $639 |