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Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-3 III

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Pentax K-3 Mark III front
Portability
58
Imaging
72
Features
86
Overall
77

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-3 III Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
  • Introduced February 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-3
Pentax K-3 III
(Full Review)
  • 26MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600000
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 820g - 135 x 104 x 74mm
  • Released March 2021
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Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-3 III Overview

Here is a extensive overview of the Olympus E-5 and Pentax K-3 III, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and K-3 III (26MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and K-3 III (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

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The E-5 was announced 11 years prior to the K-3 III and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before we go right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple summary of how the E-5 matches up versus the K-3 III when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Pentax K-3 III

 E-5 K-3 III 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 III over the Olympus E-5

 K-3 III E-5 
ReleasedMarch 2021February 2011Fresher by 123 months
Display size3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1620k920kSharper display (+700k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Pentax K-3 III

 E-5 K-3 III 
Manual focus More exact focus

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-3 III Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-5 has got external measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 III has sizing of 135mm x 104mm x 74mm (5.3" x 4.1" x 2.9") having a weight of 820 grams (1.81 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-5 and Pentax K-3 III in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that moment. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-5 against the K-3 III.

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-3 III size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-5 and K-3 III is 58 and 58 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-3 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-3 III Sensor Comparison

Often, it is hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizing purely by reading through a spec sheet. The photograph below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-5 and K-3 III.

As you can see, the 2 cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-5 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh more challenging and the Pentax K-3 III will resolve extra detail with its extra 14 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images way more aggressively. The older E-5 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-3 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-3 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-3 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-5 Portrait photography advice
Pentax K-3 III Portrait photography advice
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
exports RAW files
low resolution sensor (12MP)
83
has manual focus
great MP (26MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-5 Street photography advice
Pentax K-3 III Street photography advice
71
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
71
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
has touch to focus
weather proof
very good ISO range (1,600,000)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-5 Sports photography information
Pentax K-3 III Sports photography information
59
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
low frames per second (5.0 fps)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
79
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
great MP (26MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
weather proof
has phase detect auto focus
terrible battery power (800 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-3 III as a Travel photography camera
56
weather sealing
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low resolution sensor (12MP)
64
weather proof
has bluetooth
has touch to focus
great MP (26 megapixels)
terrible battery power (800 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-5 Landscape photography features
Pentax K-3 III Landscape photography features
65
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
has dual storage slots
low resolution sensor (12MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
80
has manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3.2")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
great MP (26 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
does not have anti aliasing filter
very good ISO range (1,600,000)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
has double storage slots
terrible battery power (800 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-5 Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-3 III Vlogging highlights
64
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
includes external mic jack
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
35
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focus
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has microphone port
display is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-5 vs Pentax K-3 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Pentax K-3 III
 Olympus E-5Pentax K-3 Mark III
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-5 Pentax K-3 Mark III
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2011-02-03 2021-03-31
Body design Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic V+ -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23 x 15.5mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 356.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 26MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 6192 x 4128
Max native ISO 6400 1600000
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 101
Cross type focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Total lenses 45 156
Crop factor 2.1 1.6
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3.2"
Resolution of display 920 thousand dot 1,620 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech HyperCrystal transmissive LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 18.00 m (at ISO 200) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Auto, Auto + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow- speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250s 1/200s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 24p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 800 gr (1.76 lbs) 820 gr (1.81 lbs)
Physical dimensions 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 135 x 104 x 74mm (5.3" x 4.1" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light rating 519 not tested
Other
Battery life 870 images 800 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-5 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported in slot 1)
Storage slots Dual Dual
Pricing at launch $1,700 $1,999