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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax E70

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Pentax Optio E70 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
11
Overall
24

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax E70 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
  • Released August 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-P2
  • Later Model is Olympus E-P5
Pentax E70
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.4" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-105mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 175g - 94 x 61 x 26mm
  • Revealed January 2009
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax E70 Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax E70, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the E70 (10MP) is pretty close but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and E70 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was introduced 2 years later than the E70 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax E70 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-P3 scores against the E70 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Pentax E70

 E-P3 E70 
RevealedAugust 2011January 2009More recent by 32 months
Manually focus More exact focus
Screen sizing3"2.4"Bigger screen (+0.6")
Screen resolution614k112kClearer screen (+502k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax E70 over the Olympus E-P3

 E70 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax E70

 E-P3 E70 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax E70 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. 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) while the Pentax E70 has measurements of 94mm x 61mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.0") with a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax E70 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-P3 versus the E70.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax E70 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and E70 is 86 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax E70 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax E70 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very tough to envision the contrast in sensor measurements purely by looking through specs. The visual here will offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P3 and E70.

All in all, both of those cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-P3 will render more detail using its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs far more aggressively. The newer E-P3 will have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax E70 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax E70 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax E70 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography details
Pentax E70 Portrait photography details
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
19
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
low resolution (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography details
Pentax E70 Street photography details
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
comes with touch to focus
no moving screen
47
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography factors
Pentax E70 Sports photography factors
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
max fps low (3.0 frames per second)
low MP (12 megapixels)
lacks phase detect AF
16
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography highlights
Pentax E70 Travel photography highlights
60
comes with touch to focus
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
low MP (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
50
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low resolution (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P3
Landscape photography with Pentax E70
65
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse mode
22
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.4 inch)
lack of manual mode
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging info
Pentax E70 Vlogging info
35
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have mic socket
22
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have microphone support
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax E70 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Pentax E70
 Olympus PEN E-P3Pentax Optio E70
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Pentax Optio E70
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2011-08-17 2009-01-05
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 64
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-105mm (3.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus range - 10cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 2.4"
Resolution of display 614k dots 112k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) -
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369g (0.81 lbs) 175g (0.39 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 94 x 61 x 26mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.0")
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 -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $0 $140