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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Pentax K-S2 front
Portability
64
Imaging
64
Features
82
Overall
71

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2 Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(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
Pentax K-S2
(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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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2 Overview

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.

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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.

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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 
IntroducedFebruary 2015August 2011Fresher by 42 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k614kCrisper 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 size3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2 size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-S2 as a Portrait photography camera
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
supports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
78
focusing manually
decent megapixels (20MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography highlights
Pentax K-S2 Street photography highlights
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
features touch to focus
screen does not articulate
72
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
above average high ISO (51,200)
more heavy than average (678 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-S2 as a Sports photography camera
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
low MP (12MP)
lack of phase detect auto focus
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking focus
weather sealing
comes with phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (5.4 fps)
terrible battery power (410 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-S2 Travel photography highlights
60
features touch to focus
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
low MP (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
65
weather sealing
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
terrible battery power (410 per charge)
more heavy than average (678g)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-S2 as a Landscape photography camera
65
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse function
77
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
does not have anti-alias filter
above average high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
terrible battery power (410 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging details
Pentax K-S2 Vlogging details
35
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have mic support
71
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have microphone socket
more heavy than average (678g)
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Pentax K-S2
 Olympus PEN E-P3Pentax 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