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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Pentax K100D front
Portability
64
Imaging
45
Features
36
Overall
41

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D 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
  • Announced August 2011
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-P2
  • New Model is Olympus E-P5
Pentax K100D
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 660g - 129 x 93 x 70mm
  • Launched December 2006
  • Refreshed by Pentax K100D S
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and K100D (6MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and K100D (APS-C) come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-P3 was announced 4 years later than the K100D and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K100D being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-P3 matches up against the K100D for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Pentax K100D

 E-P3 K100D 
LaunchedAugust 2011December 2006Fresher by 58 months
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution614k210kSharper screen (+404k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K100D over the Olympus E-P3

 K100D E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax K100D

 E-P3 K100D 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P3 has exterior dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") having a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Pentax K100D has measurements of 129mm x 93mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8") along with a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-P3 compared to the K100D.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and K100D is 86 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizing just by seeing specifications. The visual underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P3 and K100D.

To sum up, each of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-P3 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Olympus E-P3 will show more detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more modern E-P3 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P3
Portrait photography with Pentax K100D
60
focusing manually
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
low resolution sensor (12MP)
51
manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
megapixel count low (6 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography highlights
Pentax K100D Street photography highlights
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
offers touch to focus
no articulating screen
58
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
fixed screen
heavier than competitors (660g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography advice
Pentax K100D Sports photography advice
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
has no phase detect autofocus
47
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (6 megapixels)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K100D as a Travel photography camera
60
offers touch to focus
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
42
flash built-in
does not have Time Lapse mode
heavier than competitors (660g)
megapixel count low (6MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography factors
Pentax K100D Landscape photography factors
65
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low resolution sensor (12MP)
does not have Time Lapse function
52
manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
small screen (2.5")
no liveview feature
megapixel count low (6MP)
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging features
Pentax K100D Vlogging features
35
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have mic socket
9
no video shooting
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K100D Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Pentax K100D
 Olympus PEN E-P3Pentax K100D
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Pentax K100D
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2011-08-17 2006-12-03
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 6 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 3008 x 2008
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Amount of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 2.5 inch
Screen resolution 614 thousand dot 210 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 96%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.57x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369 gr (0.81 pounds) 660 gr (1.46 pounds)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 129 x 93 x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 51 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light score 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photographs -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/MMC card
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $0 $0