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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Pentax Optio P70 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
20
Overall
28

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70 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
  • Launched January 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-300
  • Renewed by Olympus E-330
Pentax P70
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 155g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Released March 2009
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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70 Overview

Here is a detailed comparison of the Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and P70 (12MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and P70 (1/2.3") possess different sensor measurements.

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The E-300 was released 5 years earlier than the P70 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax P70 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving through a in-depth comparison, below is a short view of how the E-300 scores against the P70 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Pentax P70

 E-300 P70 

Reasons to pick Pentax P70 over the Olympus E-300

 P70 E-300 
ReleasedMarch 2009January 2005Fresher by 50 months
Screen dimension2.7"1.8"Bigger screen (+0.9")
Screen resolution230k134kSharper screen (+96k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Pentax P70

 E-300 P70 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-300 provides 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 P70 has specifications of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") and a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select at that moment. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the E-300 against the P70.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and P70 is 67 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizing just by reading technical specs. The graphic below should give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-300 and P70.

As you can tell, both cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-300 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh less difficult and the Pentax P70 will deliver greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older E-300 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography advice
Pentax P70 Portrait photography advice
48
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no liveview
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
27
focusing manually
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 Street photography factors
Pentax P70 Street photography factors
51
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
47
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
more heavy than competition in class (155 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax P70 as a Sports photography camera
37
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
no liveview
low fps (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
17
low max shutter speed (1/1,000 seconds)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 Travel photography information
Pentax P70 Travel photography information
45
flash built-in
missing Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (8MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
56
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
more heavy than competition in class (155g)
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-300 Landscape photography advice
Pentax P70 Landscape photography advice
43
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (1.8")
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
maximum ISO low (400)
missing Timelapse function
32
focusing manually
rather wide (28mm)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 Vlogging advice
Pentax P70 Vlogging advice
9
no video recording
25
rather wide (28mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have microphone port
more heavy than competition in class (155g)
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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax P70 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Pentax P70
 Olympus E-300Pentax Optio P70
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-300 Pentax Optio P70
Otherwise known as EVOLT E-300 -
Category Advanced DSLR Ultracompact
Launched 2005-01-10 2009-03-02
Body design Mid-size SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Full resolution 3264 x 2448 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 400 6400
Max boosted ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 64
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-5.0
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 1.8 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 134 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - 4.60 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye -
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (15 fps), 848 x 480 (15 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 624g (1.38 lb) 155g (0.34 lb)
Dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch cost $800 $200