Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2
86 Imaging
47 Features
60 Overall
52
64 Imaging
63 Features
82 Overall
70
Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
- Launched August 2011
- Earlier Model is Olympus E-P2
- Renewed by Olympus E-P5
(Full Review)
- 20MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 100 - 51200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Pentax KAF2 Mount
- 678g - 123 x 91 x 73mm
- Introduced February 2015
- Older Model is Pentax K-S1
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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.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe 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.
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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.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Pentax K-S2
| E-P3 | K-S2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touch friendly screen | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Pentax K-S2 over the Olympus E-P3
| K-S2 | E-P3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | February 2015 | August 2011 | Fresher by 42 months | |
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen | |
| Screen resolution | 921k | 614k | Crisper screen (+307k dot) | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies |
Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax K-S2
| E-P3 | K-S2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually | Dial exact focus | |||
| Screen size | 3" | 3" | Same screen dimensions |
Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2 Physical Comparison
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.
Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2 Sensor Comparison
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.
Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2 Specifications
| Olympus PEN E-P3 | Pentax K-S2 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand | Olympus | Pentax |
| Model type | Olympus PEN E-P3 | Pentax K-S2 |
| Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Launched | 2011-08-17 | 2015-02-10 |
| Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | TruePic VI | PRIME MII |
| 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 | 12 megapixel | 20 megapixel |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 |
| Highest resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 5472 x 3648 |
| Highest native ISO | 12800 | 51200 |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW pictures | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detection focus | ||
| Contract detection focus | ||
| Phase detection focus | ||
| Total focus points | 35 | 11 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Pentax KAF2 |
| Total lenses | 107 | 151 |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
| Screen size | 3 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of screen | 614 thousand dots | 921 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch friendly | ||
| Screen tech | 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.64x |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/6000s |
| Continuous shooting rate | 3.0 frames per second | 5.4 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Change white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on, flash on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual flash |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Highest flash synchronize | 1/180s | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p) |
| Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Microphone port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | Built-In |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | Optional |
| Physical | ||
| Environment sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 369 gr (0.81 pounds) | 678 gr (1.49 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") | 123 x 91 x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | 51 | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 20.8 | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.1 | not tested |
| DXO Low light rating | 536 | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 330 pictures | 410 pictures |
| Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | BLS-5 | D-LI109 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 secs) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC card | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Card slots | Single | Single |
| Pricing at launch | $0 | $581 |