Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus E-P1 versus Pentax K-3, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and K-3 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizes.

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The E-P1 was released 5 years prior to the K-3 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-P1 grades vs the K-3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-P1 & Pentax K-3. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P1 Gallery & Pentax K-3 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera, you will have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P1 has got outside measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P1 versus Pentax K-3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-P1 and the K-3.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and K-3 is 86 and 59 respectively.

Normally, it is hard to picture the contrast in sensor measurements purely by seeing a spec sheet. The visual below will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P1 and K-3.

As you can see, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-3 will show greater detail as a result of its extra 12MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images more aggressively. The older E-P1 will be behind in sensor technology.