Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-3

Below is a thorough review of the Olympus E-5 and Pentax K-3, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and K-3 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-5 was introduced 4 years before the K-3 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before going through a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-5 matches up against the K-3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-5 and Pentax K-3. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Pentax K-3 Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-5 features outer dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 has measurements of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

See the Olympus E-5 and Pentax K-3 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-5 and the K-3.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and K-3 is 58 and 59 respectively.

Typically, its hard to see the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading technical specs. The photograph underneath will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-5 and K-3.

As you can tell, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-5 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Pentax K-3 will deliver extra detail using its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-5 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.