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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax Q7

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Pentax Q7 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
54
Overall
43

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax Q7 Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Bump to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Revealed January 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-300
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-330
Pentax Q7
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • 200g - 102 x 58 x 34mm
  • Released August 2013
  • Succeeded the Pentax Q10
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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax Q7 Overview

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-300 and Pentax Q7, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and Q7 (12MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and Q7 (1/1.7") feature totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-300 was revealed 9 years prior to the Q7 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax Q7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-300 matches up versus the Q7 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Pentax Q7

 E-300 Q7 

Reasons to pick Pentax Q7 over the Olympus E-300

 Q7 E-300 
ReleasedAugust 2013January 2005More modern by 104 months
Screen dimension3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution460k134kClearer screen (+326k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Pentax Q7

 E-300 Q7 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax Q7 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-300 offers exterior dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") with a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) and the Pentax Q7 has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

See the Olympus E-300 and Pentax Q7 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-300 compared to the Q7.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax Q7 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and Q7 is 67 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax Q7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax Q7 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very hard to see the contrast between sensor sizes simply by going over technical specs. The pic underneath might offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-300 and Q7.

As you have seen, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-300 having a bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Pentax Q7 will offer more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged E-300 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax Q7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax Q7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Pentax Q7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography details
Pentax Q7 Portrait photography details
48
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
low MP (8 megapixels)
48
focusing manually
above average flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
includes face detect focus
saves RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 Street photography highlights
Pentax Q7 Street photography highlights
51
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
saves RAW files
lighter than competitors (200 grams)
screen does not articulate
small sensor (1/1.7")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax Q7 as a Sports photography camera
37
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
doesn't have liveview
low fps (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
low MP (8MP)
32
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/1.7")
terrible battery (250 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-300
Travel photography with Pentax Q7
45
has built in flash
missing Timelapse mode
low MP (8MP)
display is not selfie friendly
60
lighter than competitors (200 grams)
has built in flash
terrible battery (250 shots)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-300
Landscape photography with Pentax Q7
43
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is small (1.8 inches)
doesn't have liveview
no image stabilization
low MP (8MP)
maximum ISO low (400)
missing Timelapse mode
55
focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax Q mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
saves RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/1.7")
terrible battery (250 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 Vlogging features
Pentax Q7 Vlogging features
9
no video shooting
35
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors (200g)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
does not have mic socket
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Olympus E-300 vs Pentax Q7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Pentax Q7
 Olympus E-300Pentax Q7
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-300 Pentax Q7
Also called as EVOLT E-300 -
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2005-01-10 2013-08-08
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3264 x 2448 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 400 12800
Highest boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 3 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax Q
Total lenses 45 8
Focal length multiplier 2.1 4.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 1.8 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 134 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - TFT color LCD monitor, wide angle viewing, AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (optional)
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per sec 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 4.90 m (ISO100/m)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye P-TTL, Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Trailing Curtain Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - FullHD(1920x1080, 30fps/25fps/24fps), HD(1280x720,16:9,30fps/25fps/24fps), VGA(640x480,4:3,30fps/25fps/24fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
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 lbs) 200 gr (0.44 lbs)
Dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 102 x 58 x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3")
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
Battery life - 250 shots
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (12 sec, 2 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD, SDHC, SDXC and Eye-Fi Card
Card slots One One
Retail cost $800 $480