Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax E70

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.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Pentax Optio E70. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Pentax E70 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.