Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II

Following is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P1 was launched 6 years prior to the K-3 II which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving through a complete comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-P1 matches up versus the K-3 II in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P1 and Pentax K-3 II. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-P1 Gallery and Pentax K-3 II Gallery.

If you're planning to carry around your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P1 has outside dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") with a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 II has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the E-P1 versus the K-3 II.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P1 and K-3 II is 86 and 59 respectively.

More often than not, it is hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizes merely by seeing specifications. The image here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P1 and K-3 II.

Plainly, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-P1 due to its smaller sensor will make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Pentax K-3 II will show greater detail utilizing its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged E-P1 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.