Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and K-3 (APS-C) have different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL1s was released 4 years before the K-3 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-PL1s matches up against the K-3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Pentax K-3. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Pentax K-3 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1s features physical dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-3 has specifications of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1s against the K-3.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and K-3 is 86 and 59 respectively.

In many cases, it is very difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements purely by going over technical specs. The graphic below should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and K-3.

As you can tell, both of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Pentax K-3 will deliver more detail as a result of its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures way more aggressively. The older E-PL1s is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.