Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2

Here, we will be comparing the Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and K-S2 (20MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and K-S2 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-P3 was announced 4 years earlier than the K-S2 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go into a thorough comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-P3 scores against the K-S2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Pentax K-S2. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Pentax K-S2 Gallery.

When you are planning to carry your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 features outside dimensions 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-S2 has sizing of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at the time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-P3 against the K-S2.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and K-S2 is 86 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it is very tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizing simply by looking through a spec sheet. The graphic below should give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P3 and K-S2.

Clearly, the two cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-P3 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-S2 will render greater detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-P3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.