Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-5 II

The following is a complete comparison of the Olympus E-300 versus Pentax K-5 II, both Advanced DSLR cameras by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and K-5 II (16MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and K-5 II (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

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The E-300 was launched 9 years before the K-5 II which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-300 matches up versus the K-5 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-300 & Pentax K-5 II. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-300 Gallery & Pentax K-5 II Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-300 enjoys exterior dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") and a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 II has dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-300 versus Pentax K-5 II in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-300 and the K-5 II.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-300 and K-5 II is 67 and 60 respectively.

Oftentimes, its tough to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions merely by looking through a spec sheet. The picture here should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-300 and K-5 II.

As you can see, each of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-300 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-5 II will result in extra detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-300 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.