Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500
86 Imaging
48 Features
60 Overall
52
![Olympus PEN E-P3 front Olympus PEN E-P3 front](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/cameras/gallery/medium/Olympus-PEN-E-P3/Olympus-E-P3-front.jpg)
![Pentax Optio RS1500 front Pentax Optio RS1500 front](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/cameras/gallery/medium/Pentax-Optio-RS1500/Pentax-RS1500-front.jpg)
93 Imaging
37 Features
30 Overall
34
Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 Key Specs
(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
- Revealed August 2011
- Succeeded the Olympus E-P2
- Refreshed by Olympus E-P5
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
- 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
- Introduced March 2011
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ai-licence-218x150.jpg)
Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 Overview
Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-P3 versus Pentax RS1500, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the RS1500 (14MP) is pretty close but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and RS1500 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maxresdefault-218x150.jpg)
The E-P3 was released 6 months after the RS1500 which means that they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera.
Before delving through a in depth comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-P3 scores against the RS1500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Approach-to-AI-Generated-Content-218x150.jpg)
Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Pentax Optio RS1500. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Pentax RS1500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Pentax RS1500
E-P3 | RS1500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 614k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+384k dot) |
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Olympus E-P3
RS1500 | E-P3 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax RS1500
E-P3 | RS1500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | August 2011 | ![]() | March 2011 | Same age |
Focus manually | ![]() | Very precise focusing | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lack of selfie screen |
Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 Physical Comparison
When you are looking to carry around your camera often, you should consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 offers outside 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 RS1500 has sizing of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-P3 versus Pentax RS1500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.![Camera Size Comparison with Lenses Camera Size Comparison with Lenses](https://pxlmag.com/db/assets/camera-size-comparison-animation.gif)
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at that moment. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the E-P3 versus the RS1500.
![Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 size comparison Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 size comparison](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/camera-compare/Olympus-PEN-E-P3-vs-Pentax-Optio-RS1500-size-comparison.jpg)
Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and RS1500 is 86 and 93 respectively.
![Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 top view buttons comparison Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 top view buttons comparison](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/camera-compare/Olympus-PEN-E-P3-vs-Pentax-Optio-RS1500-top-view-buttons-comparison.jpg)
Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 Sensor Comparison
Usually, its tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes simply by looking through technical specs. The image here will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and RS1500.
As you have seen, both of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-P3 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Pentax RS1500 will render greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures a little more aggressively.
![Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 sensor size comparison Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 sensor size comparison](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/sensor-compare/Olympus-PEN-E-P3-vs-Pentax-Optio-RS1500-sensor-size-comparison.png)
Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and ViewFinder
![Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/camera-compare/Olympus-PEN-E-P3-vs-Pentax-Optio-RS1500-screen-back-comparison.jpg)
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photography-glossary-218x150.jpg)
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/snapchat-218x150.jpg)
Street Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LP3_cut_13f_0212-218x150.jpg)
Sports Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/iphone-optical-stabilization-218x150.jpg)
Travel Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/samsung-evo-microsd-cards-featur-218x150.jpg)
Landscape Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/No-Surprise-Pentax-17-Pre-Orders-218x150.jpg)
Vlogging Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/tiktok-218x150.jpg)
Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RS1500 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-P3 | Pentax Optio RS1500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Pentax |
Model | Olympus PEN E-P3 | Pentax Optio RS1500 |
Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Revealed | 2011-08-17 | 2011-03-16 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic VI | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12MP | 14MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4288 x 3216 |
Max native ISO | 12800 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 28-110mm (3.9x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.5-5.5 |
Macro focus distance | - | 1cm |
Total lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 3" | 2.7" |
Resolution of screen | 614 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Screen technology | 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating | TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 4 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/1500 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 3.0 frames per second | 1.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) | 3.90 m |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 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, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 369 gr (0.81 pounds) | 157 gr (0.35 pounds) |
Dimensions | 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") | 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") |
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 images | 260 images |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLS-5 | D-LI92 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Price at launch | $0 | $150 |