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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Pentax K-x front
Portability
69
Imaging
52
Features
47
Overall
50

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Introduced January 2005
  • Additionally referred to as EVOLT E-300
  • Replacement is Olympus E-330
Pentax K-x
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Push to 12800)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 580g - 123 x 92 x 68mm
  • Revealed December 2009
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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x Overview

On this page, we will be looking at the Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and K-x (12MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and K-x (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-300 was unveiled 6 years before the K-x which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax K-x being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-300 grades against the K-x when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Pentax K-x

 E-300 K-x 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-x over the Olympus E-300

 K-x E-300 
RevealedDecember 2009January 2005More modern by 60 months
Screen dimensions2.7"1.8"Bigger screen (+0.9")
Screen resolution230k134kCrisper screen (+96k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Pentax K-x

 E-300 K-x 
Manually focus Very precise focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-300 comes with outside 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 Pentax K-x has proportions of 123mm x 92mm x 68mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-300 and the K-x.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-300 and K-x is 67 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x Sensor Comparison

Normally, its hard to visualise the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading through specs. The image below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-300 and K-x.

All in all, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-300 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-x will give you more detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-300 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-300
Portrait photography with Pentax K-x
48
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
MP count low (8MP)
63
has manual focus
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 Street photography factors
Pentax K-x Street photography factors
51
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 Sports photography factors
Pentax K-x Sports photography factors
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
61
max shutter speed is good (1/6,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
better than average battery life (1,900 per charge)
has phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 Travel photography factors
Pentax K-x Travel photography factors
45
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
MP count low (8 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
54
better than average battery life (1,900 shots)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-300 Landscape photography advice
Pentax K-x Landscape photography advice
43
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (1.8 inch)
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
does not have Time Lapse mode
61
has manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
better than average battery life (1,900 CIPA)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-x as a Vlogging camera
9
lack of video recording
27
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focus
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone support
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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax K-x Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Pentax K-x
 Olympus E-300Pentax K-x
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-300 Pentax K-x
Also called EVOLT E-300 -
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2005-01-10 2009-12-23
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Prime
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Max resolution 3264 x 2448 4288 x 2848
Max native ISO 400 6400
Max enhanced ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Amount of lenses 45 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 1.8 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 134 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 96%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.57x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 16.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear curtain, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 416 (24 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 624 gr (1.38 pounds) 580 gr (1.28 pounds)
Physical dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 123 x 92 x 68mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 72
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.5
DXO Low light score not tested 811
Other
Battery life - 1900 pictures
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC card
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $800 $600