Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1
88 Imaging
47 Features
52 Overall
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55 Imaging
75 Features
82 Overall
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
- Introduced September 2011
- Old Model is Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
- 36MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 100 - 204800
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Pentax KAF2 Mount
- 1010g - 137 x 110 x 86mm
- Launched February 2016
- New Model is Pentax K-1 II
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Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax K-1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and K-1 (Full frame) posses totally different sensor measurements.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe E-PL3 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the K-1 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.
Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-PL3 matches up vs the K-1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Pentax K-1. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Pentax K-1 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Pentax K-1
| E-PL3 | K-1 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Pentax K-1 over the Olympus E-PL3
| K-1 | E-PL3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | February 2016 | September 2011 | More recent by 53 months | |
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Tilting | Fully Articulating screen | |
| Screen size | 3.2" | 3" | Bigger screen (+0.2") | |
| Screen resolution | 1037k | 460k | Sharper screen (+577k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax K-1
| E-PL3 | K-1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus | Very accurate focusing | |||
| Selfie screen | Neither has selfie screen | |||
| Touch screen | Neither has Touch screen |
Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1 Physical Comparison
When you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you will need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL3 has outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Pentax K-1 has specifications of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).
Look at the Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax K-1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the K-1.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and K-1 is 88 and 55 respectively.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1 Sensor Comparison
Normally, its hard to envision the gap in sensor measurements just by seeing technical specs. The photograph below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and K-1.
As you can tell, both of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 because of its smaller sensor will make getting bokeh more difficult and the Pentax K-1 will show greater detail due to its extra 24MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PL3 will be behind in sensor technology.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1 Specifications
| Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Pentax K-1 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Olympus | Pentax |
| Model | Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Pentax K-1 |
| Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Advanced DSLR |
| Introduced | 2011-09-20 | 2016-02-17 |
| Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Mid-size SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | Truepic VI | - |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | Full frame |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 35.9 x 24mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 861.6mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 12MP | 36MP |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 |
| Max resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 7360 x 4912 |
| Max native ISO | 12800 | 204800 |
| Minimum native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW pictures | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| AF touch | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| AF single | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detect AF | ||
| Contract detect AF | ||
| Phase detect AF | ||
| Number of focus points | 35 | 33 |
| Cross focus points | - | 25 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Pentax KAF2 |
| Number of lenses | 107 | 151 |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 1 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Tilting | Fully Articulated |
| Display diagonal | 3 inches | 3.2 inches |
| Resolution of display | 460k dot | 1,037k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch function | ||
| Display technology | HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.7x |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/8000s |
| Continuous shutter speed | 6.0 frames/s | 4.4 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash range | no built-in flash | 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 |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AEB | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Fastest flash sync | 1/160s | 1/200s |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p) |
| Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Mic jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | Built-In |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | Built-in |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 313g (0.69 lbs) | 1010g (2.23 lbs) |
| Physical dimensions | 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 137 x 110 x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall score | 52 | 96 |
| DXO Color Depth score | 20.9 | 25.4 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | 10.3 | 14.6 |
| DXO Low light score | 499 | 3280 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 300 photos | 760 photos |
| Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | BLS-5 | D-LI90 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) |
| Storage slots | Single | Two |
| Cost at release | $399 | $1,499 |