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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax ist DL2

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Pentax ist DL2 front
Portability
69
Imaging
44
Features
33
Overall
39

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax ist DL2 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
  • Launched August 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-P2
  • Replacement is Olympus E-P5
Pentax ist DL2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 565g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Launched January 2006
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax ist DL2 Overview

Following is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-P3 versus Pentax ist DL2, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and ist DL2 (6MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and ist DL2 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was launched 5 years after the ist DL2 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax ist DL2 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-P3 grades vs the ist DL2 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Pentax ist DL2

 E-P3 ist DL2 
LaunchedAugust 2011January 2006More modern by 68 months
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution614k210kSharper screen (+404k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DL2 over the Olympus E-P3

 ist DL2 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax ist DL2

 E-P3 ist DL2 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax ist DL2 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-P3 enjoys physical dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Pentax ist DL2 has specifications of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-P3 versus Pentax ist DL2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-P3 versus the ist DL2.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax ist DL2 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and ist DL2 is 86 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax ist DL2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax ist DL2 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizes just by reviewing specs. The picture here might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P3 and ist DL2.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-P3 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Olympus E-P3 will offer extra detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The newer E-P3 will have an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax ist DL2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax ist DL2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax ist DL2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P3
Portrait photography with Pentax ist DL2
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
exports RAW formats
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
50
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
doesn't have liveview
low MP (6 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography factors
Pentax ist DL2 Street photography factors
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
offers touch focus
screen is fixed
60
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition in class (565 grams)
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography factors
Pentax ist DL2 Sports photography factors
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (3.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
does not have phase detect auto focus
38
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low MP (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography details
Pentax ist DL2 Travel photography details
60
offers touch focus
flash built-in
missing Timelapse recording
resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
52
lighter than competition in class (565 grams)
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
low MP (6 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P3
Landscape photography with Pentax ist DL2
65
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
missing Timelapse recording
46
has manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
small screen (2.5 inches)
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
low MP (6 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging information
Pentax ist DL2 Vlogging information
35
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
missing external microphone jack
22
lighter than competition in class (565g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution ( pixels)
lack of external microphone socket
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax ist DL2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Pentax ist DL2
 Olympus PEN E-P3Pentax ist DL2
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Pentax ist DL2
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Launched 2011-08-17 2006-01-27
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 6 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 3008 x 2008
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 35 5
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Number of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 2.5"
Resolution of screen 614 thousand dots 210 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.57x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 seconds -
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) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 -
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG -
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369g (0.81 lbs) 565g (1.25 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 51 65
DXO Color Depth score 20.8 22.9
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 11.1
DXO Low light score 536 639
Other
Battery life 330 shots -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/MMC card
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $0 -