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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Introduced July 2009
  • Later Model is Olympus E-P2
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Succeeded the Pentax K-3
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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Pentax K-3 II

 E-P1 K-3 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Olympus E-P1

 K-3 II E-P1 
RevealedApril 2015July 2009More modern by 69 months
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Pentax K-3 II

 E-P1 K-3 II 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

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

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography factors
Pentax K-3 II Portrait photography factors
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
79
you can focus manually
decent MP (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Street photography camera
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no articulating screen
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
great ISO range (51,200)
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-3 II Sports photography highlights
40
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (300 per charge)
no phase detect AF
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
environment proofing
has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery life (720 per charge)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Travel photography camera
43
no Time Lapse mode
terrible battery life (300 shots)
megapixel count low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
56
environment proofing
decent MP (24 megapixels)
not so great battery life (720 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P1
Landscape photography with Pentax K-3 II
60
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (300 CIPA)
no Time Lapse mode
78
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
no anti-alias filter
great ISO range (51,200)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
2 card slots
not so great battery life (720 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Vlogging camera
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
does not feature selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no mic jack
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone support
screen is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Pentax K-3 II
 Olympus PEN E-P1Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-P1 Pentax K-3 II
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2009-07-29 2015-04-23
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic V Prime III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 6016 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 51200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 11 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3.2 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 8.3fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync (available with dedicated external flash)
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 355 gr (0.78 lbs) 800 gr (1.76 lbs)
Dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 80
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 13.6
DXO Low light rating 536 1106
Other
Battery life 300 images 720 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One Dual
Price at release $182 $829