Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-3 II

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-3 II, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1 was revealed 6 years prior to the K-3 II and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-PL1 matches up vs the K-3 II when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Pentax K-3 II. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Pentax K-3 II Gallery.

If you are going to carry your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL1 has got exterior dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 II has proportions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-3 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1 vs the K-3 II.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and K-3 II is 86 and 59 respectively.

Sometimes, it's hard to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by checking out specs. The graphic underneath may provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and K-3 II.

As you can plainly see, both cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Pentax K-3 II will show extra detail because of its extra 12MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures much more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.