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Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3

Portability
71
Imaging
47
Features
50
Overall
48
Olympus E-600 front
 
Pentax K-3 front
Portability
59
Imaging
65
Features
85
Overall
73

Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3 Key Specs

Olympus E-600
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 515g - 130 x 94 x 60mm
  • Launched August 2009
Pentax K-3
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Released April 2014
  • Refreshed by Pentax K-3 II
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Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3 Overview

Here, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the E-600 (12MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the E-600 (Four Thirds) and K-3 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizing.

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The E-600 was released 5 years before the K-3 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-600 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-600 matches up versus the K-3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-600 over the Pentax K-3

 E-600 K-3 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 over the Olympus E-600

 K-3 E-600 
ReleasedApril 2014August 2009Fresher by 56 months
Screen size3.2"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-600 and Pentax K-3

 E-600 K-3 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3 Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-600 features physical dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") having a weight of 515 grams (1.14 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-600 versus the K-3.

Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-600 and K-3 is 71 and 59 respectively.

Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is tough to visualize the difference between sensor sizing just by going over technical specs. The photograph below may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-600 and K-3.

As you can tell, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-600 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-3 will offer you extra detail as a result of its extra 12MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-600 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-600 Portrait photography details
Pentax K-3 Portrait photography details
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
79
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-600 Street photography information
Pentax K-3 Street photography information
76
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
very good ISO range (51,200)
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-600 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-3 as a Sports photography camera
48
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
terrible battery life (500 CIPA)
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
environment sealing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
bad battery pack (560 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-600 Travel photography features
Pentax K-3 Travel photography features
53
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
does not have Timelapse function
terrible battery life (500 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
60
environment sealing
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
bad battery pack (560 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-600 Landscape photography details
Pentax K-3 Landscape photography details
53
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (500 shots)
does not have Timelapse function
77
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is decent (3.2 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
no low pass filter
very good ISO range (51,200)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
has double storage slots
bad battery pack (560 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-600 Vlogging features
Pentax K-3 Vlogging features
18
can't shoot video
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes microphone port
screen is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-600 and Pentax K-3
 Olympus E-600Pentax K-3
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-600 Pentax K-3
Type Entry-Level DSLR Advanced DSLR
Launched 2009-08-30 2014-04-10
Body design Compact SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ Prime III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 6016 x 4000
Max native ISO 3200 51200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 7 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 45 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inch 3.2 inch
Screen resolution 230k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x 0.64x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames per sec 8.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Front curtain, Rear curtain, Fill-in, Manual Auto, on, off, red-eye, slow sync, slow sync + red-eye, trailing curtain sync, high speed, wireless, manual
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 515 grams (1.14 lb) 800 grams (1.76 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 80
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 13.4
DXO Low light rating 541 1216
Other
Battery life 500 shots 560 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One Two
Launch cost $0 $639