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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
43
Overall
46
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
67
Features
84
Overall
73

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Revealed November 2010
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL1
  • New Model is Olympus E-PL2
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Announced April 2015
  • Succeeded the Pentax K-3
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Following is a complete review of the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax K-3 II, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) offer different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1s was unveiled 5 years before the K-3 II which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going right into a full comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-PL1s matches up versus the K-3 II with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Pentax K-3 II

 E-PL1s K-3 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Olympus E-PL1s

 K-3 II E-PL1s 
AnnouncedApril 2015November 2010More modern by 53 months
Screen dimensions3.2"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kSharper screen (+807k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax K-3 II

 E-PL1s K-3 II 
Manual focus Dial precise focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera, you will want to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1s comes with exterior dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 II has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax K-3 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have at the time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1s versus the K-3 II.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1s and K-3 II is 86 and 59 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizes simply by going over specs. The picture here will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and K-3 II.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1s having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-3 II will deliver extra detail having an extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1s is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Portrait photography camera
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
80
focusing manually
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Street photography camera
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no moving screen
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
above average ISO range (51,200)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Sports photography camera
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
low MP (12MP)
bad battery pack (290 shots)
lacks phase detect autofocus
77
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers tracking focus
environment proofing
comes with phase detect auto focus
bad battery life (720 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography factors
Pentax K-3 II Travel photography factors
52
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse mode
bad battery pack (290 shots)
low MP (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
57
environment proofing
decent megapixels (24MP)
bad battery life (720 shots)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Landscape photography with Pentax K-3 II
55
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inch)
low MP (12 megapixels)
bad battery pack (290 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
78
focusing manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is decent (3.2 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
no low pass filter
above average ISO range (51,200)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
two card slots
bad battery life (720 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-3 II Vlogging highlights
30
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection autofocus
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external mic jack
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have microphone socket
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax K-3 II
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sPentax K-3 II
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL1s Pentax K-3 II
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2010-11-16 2015-04-23
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V Prime III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 6016 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 11 27
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7" 3.2"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per second 8.3 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync (available with dedicated external flash)
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 334g (0.74 lb) 800g (1.76 lb)
Physical dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 80
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.6
DXO Low light score not tested 1106
Other
Battery life 290 images 720 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 Dual
Launch price $599 $829