Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-1

Following is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax K-1, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and K-1 (Full frame) use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P3 was announced 5 years earlier than the K-1 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-P3 grades against the K-1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Pentax K-1. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Pentax K-1 Gallery.

When you are going to carry around your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 features exterior measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Pentax K-1 has sizing of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") having a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax K-1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-P3 vs the K-1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and K-1 is 86 and 55 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes simply by checking out a spec sheet. The image underneath may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P3 and K-1.

As you can see, both of those cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-P3 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-1 will produce greater detail with its extra 24 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The more aged E-P3 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.