Olympus E-300 vs Pentax WS80

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-300 and Pentax Optio WS80. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-300 Gallery and Pentax WS80 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.