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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RZ18

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Pentax Optio RZ18 front
Portability
92
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RZ18 Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(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
  • Announced August 2011
  • Older Model is Olympus E-P2
  • New Model is Olympus E-P5
Pentax RZ18
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-450mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 97 x 61 x 33mm
  • Announced September 2011
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RZ18 Overview

In this article, we are contrasting the Olympus E-P3 versus Pentax RZ18, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and RZ18 (16MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and RZ18 (1/2.3") use different sensor measurements.

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The E-P3 was brought out very close to the RZ18 and they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax RZ18 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-P3 scores versus the RZ18 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Pentax RZ18

 E-P3 RZ18 
Display resolution614k460kCrisper display (+154k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax RZ18 over the Olympus E-P3

 RZ18 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax RZ18

 E-P3 RZ18 
AnnouncedAugust 2011September 2011Same age
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurements
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RZ18 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to lug around your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P3 has got external measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") having a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Pentax RZ18 has measurements of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P3 versus Pentax RZ18 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-P3 and the RZ18.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RZ18 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and RZ18 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RZ18 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RZ18 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's difficult to picture the gap in sensor measurements just by looking through specifications. The photograph underneath will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and RZ18.

Plainly, both cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Pentax RZ18 will result in extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos a little more aggressively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RZ18 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography advice
Pentax RZ18 Portrait photography advice
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
36
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography details
Pentax RZ18 Street photography details
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
boasts touch to focus
fixed screen
65
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
lighter than average (178g)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-P3
Sports photography with Pentax RZ18
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not have phase detect autofocus
47
incredible zoom range (25-450mm 18.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
weather proofing
max frames per second low (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography info
Pentax RZ18 Travel photography info
60
boasts touch to focus
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
71
lighter than average (178 grams)
weather proofing
decent megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
very long reach (450mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography information
Pentax RZ18 Landscape photography information
65
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
lack of Timelapse recording
49
you can focus manually
really wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
weather proofing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging highlights
Pentax RZ18 Vlogging highlights
35
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone jack
30
really wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average (178 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external mic jack
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax RZ18 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Pentax RZ18
 Olympus PEN E-P3Pentax Optio RZ18
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Pentax Optio RZ18
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2011-08-17 2011-09-12
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-450mm (18.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focusing range - 4cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 614 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
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 60s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 2.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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 file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 369 grams (0.81 lbs) 178 grams (0.39 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 97 x 61 x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 51 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 images -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $0 $210