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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Pentax 645D front
Portability
50
Imaging
76
Features
52
Overall
66

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
  • Introduced August 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-P2
  • Successor is Olympus E-P5
Pentax 645D
(Full Review)
  • 40MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 1600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • No Video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1480g - 156 x 117 x 119mm
  • Announced March 2010
  • Renewed by Pentax 645Z
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D Overview

Below is a detailed analysis of the Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Pro DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and 645D (40MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and 645D (Medium format) offer different sensor measurements.

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The E-P3 was unveiled 18 months later than the 645D making them a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax 645D being a Large SLR camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-P3 grades versus the 645D when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Pentax 645D

 E-P3 645D 
AnnouncedAugust 2011March 2010More recent by 18 months
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax 645D over the Olympus E-P3

 645D E-P3 
Display resolution921k614kCrisper display (+307k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax 645D

 E-P3 645D 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 has got exterior dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") along with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Pentax 645D has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7") and a weight of 1480 grams (3.26 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-P3 compared to the 645D.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and 645D is 86 and 50 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements purely by checking out specs. The graphic here should give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and 645D.

All in all, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax 645D will provide greater detail having an extra 28MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics more aggressively. The younger E-P3 provides a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography info
Pentax 645D Portrait photography info
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
77
you can focus manually
resolution is high (40MP)
big sensor size (Medium format)
saves RAW formats
no liveview
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Street photography camera
Pentax 645D as a Street photography camera
76
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
has focus by touch
fixed screen
58
big sensor size (Medium format)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax 645D as a Sports photography camera
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12MP)
lacks phase detect autofocus
63
resolution is high (40 megapixels)
big sensor size (Medium format)
weather proofing
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
not so great battery (800 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax 645D as a Travel photography camera
60
has focus by touch
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
55
weather proofing
resolution is high (40MP)
not so great battery (800 CIPA)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography info
Pentax 645D Landscape photography info
65
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
72
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
screen size is good (3")
resolution is high (40MP)
big sensor size (Medium format)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
has dual storage slots
no liveview
no image stabilization
not so great battery (800 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging details
Pentax 645D Vlogging details
35
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external mic support
9
can't record video
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax 645D Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Pentax 645D
 Olympus PEN E-P3Pentax 645D
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Pentax 645D
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro DSLR
Introduced 2011-08-17 2010-03-10
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 40MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 7264 x 5440
Highest native ISO 12800 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
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 35 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Total lenses 107 6
Crop factor 2.1 0.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 614 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle and with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.85x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180 secs 1/125 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 369g (0.81 lb) 1480g (3.26 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 156 x 117 x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 51 82
DXO Color Depth rating 20.8 24.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 12.6
DXO Low light rating 536 1262
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 800 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC
Storage slots Single Dual
Pricing at launch $0 $4,000