Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax KP

On this page, we are evaluating the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax KP, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and KP (24MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and KP (APS-C) have different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was manufactured 6 years before the KP and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax KP being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-P3 matches up against the KP when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P3 and Pentax KP. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-P3 Gallery and Pentax KP Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P3 provides outer 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) whilst the Pentax KP has dimensions of 132mm x 101mm x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0") along with a weight of 703 grams (1.55 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax KP in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is a front view size comparison of the E-P3 versus the KP.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and KP is 86 and 61 respectively.

Typically, it is very tough to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements merely by checking out technical specs. The photograph below should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and KP.

As you can tell, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax KP will show extra detail due to its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The older E-P3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.