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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Pentax Optio WS80 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
20
Overall
27

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80 Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(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
  • Revealed January 2005
  • Additionally referred to as EVOLT E-300
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-330
Pentax WS80
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-175mm (F3.8-4.7) lens
  • 125g - 92 x 60 x 22mm
  • Announced August 2009
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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80 Overview

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Waterproof by companies Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-300 (8MP) and the WS80 (10MP) is very similar but the E-300 (Four Thirds) and WS80 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-300 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the WS80 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax WS80 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-300 grades versus the WS80 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Pentax WS80

 E-300 WS80 

Reasons to pick Pentax WS80 over the Olympus E-300

 WS80 E-300 
AnnouncedAugust 2009January 2005More modern by 55 months
Display size2.7"1.8"Larger display (+0.9")
Display resolution230k134kSharper display (+96k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Pentax WS80

 E-300 WS80 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch display Neither comes with Touch display

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry around your camera often, you will have to factor in 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") and a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) whilst the Pentax WS80 has proportions of 92mm x 60mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 0.9") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-300 against the WS80.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and WS80 is 67 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its hard to see the gap between sensor sizes purely by reviewing technical specs. The image below might provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-300 and WS80.

As you can tell, both cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-300 because of its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Pentax WS80 will deliver more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-300 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography factors
Pentax WS80 Portrait photography factors
48
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
doesn't have liveview
low MP (8MP)
26
has manual focus
no manual exposure
no external flash support
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 Street photography information
Pentax WS80 Street photography information
51
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
59
environment sealing
lighter than competition (125 grams)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 Sports photography information
Pentax WS80 Sports photography information
37
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
low MP (8 megapixels)
23
environment sealing
max fps low (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 Travel photography details
Pentax WS80 Travel photography details
45
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
low MP (8 megapixels)
does not have selfie friendly display
61
lighter than competition (125 grams)
environment sealing
flash built-in
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-300
Landscape photography with Pentax WS80
43
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is small (1.8 inches)
doesn't have liveview
does not have image stabilization
low MP (8MP)
maximum ISO low (400)
lack of Time Lapse recording
31
has manual focus
environment sealing
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.8)
tiny screen (2.7")
no manual exposure
no image stabilization
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-300
Vlogging with Pentax WS80
9
lack of video recording
25
lighter than competition (125 grams)
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.8)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone socket
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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Pentax WS80
 Olympus E-300Pentax Optio WS80
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-300 Pentax Optio WS80
Also called EVOLT E-300 -
Category Advanced DSLR Waterproof
Revealed 2005-01-10 2009-08-05
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Prime
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3264 x 2448 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 400 6400
Highest enhanced ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 64
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-175mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.8-4.7
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 1.8" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 134 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1500s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 3.40 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 grams (1.38 lbs) 125 grams (0.28 lbs)
Physical dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 92 x 60 x 22mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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
Battery model - D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $800 $220