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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax MX-1

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Pentax MX-1 front
Portability
84
Imaging
37
Features
60
Overall
46

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax MX-1 Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
  • Announced August 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-P2
  • New Model is Olympus E-P5
Pentax MX-1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
  • Announced July 2013
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax MX-1 Overview

Here is a in depth overview of the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax MX-1, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the MX-1 (12MP) is very close but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and MX-1 (1/1.7") come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-P3 was manufactured 22 months earlier than the MX-1 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax MX-1 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a full comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-P3 matches up vs the MX-1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Pentax MX-1

 E-P3 MX-1 
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Olympus E-P3

 MX-1 E-P3 
AnnouncedJuly 2013August 2011Fresher by 22 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution920k614kClearer display (+306k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax MX-1

 E-P3 MX-1 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax MX-1 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry your camera often, you should factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P3 has external 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) whilst the Pentax MX-1 has proportions of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") and a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax MX-1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you choose at that time. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-P3 versus the MX-1.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax MX-1 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and MX-1 is 86 and 84 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax MX-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax MX-1 Sensor Comparison

Often, its difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by researching specifications. The visual here might give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P3 and MX-1.

To sum up, each of these cameras enjoy the same exact MP but not the same sensor sizing. The E-P3 has the larger sensor which should make achieving shallower DOF simpler. The older E-P3 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax MX-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax MX-1 as a Portrait photography camera
60
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
42
you can focus manually
comes with face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-P3
Street photography with Pentax MX-1
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
features touch focus
screen is fixed
65
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
heavier than competition in class (391 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography info
Pentax MX-1 Sports photography info
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (3.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
lack of phase detect autofocus
43
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with tracking focus
great battery life (290 shots)
slow fps (1.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography info
Pentax MX-1 Travel photography info
60
features touch focus
built-in flash
no Time Lapse mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
61
great battery life (290 CIPA)
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
no Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition in class (391g)
megapixel count low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax MX-1 as a Landscape photography camera
65
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
no Time Lapse mode
55
you can focus manually
relatively wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (290 shots)
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging features
Pentax MX-1 Vlogging features
35
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
no external mic socket
33
relatively wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
no mic support
heavier than competition in class (391 grams)
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax MX-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Pentax MX-1
 Olympus PEN E-P3Pentax MX-1
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Pentax MX-1
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2011-08-17 2013-07-01
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/1.8-2.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 4.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 614k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating TFT LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest 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 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 369 gr (0.81 lb) 391 gr (0.86 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 51 49
DXO Color Depth rating 20.8 20.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 11.3
DXO Low light rating 536 208
Other
Battery life 330 photos 290 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 D-Li-106
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Price at release $0 $400