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Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Pentax K-1 front
Portability
55
Imaging
76
Features
82
Overall
78

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL3
(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
Pentax K-1
(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
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1 Overview

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.

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The 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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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 
LaunchedFebruary 2016September 2011More recent by 53 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen size3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1 size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography info
Pentax K-1 Portrait photography info
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
85
focusing manually
fantastic MP (36MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
provides face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL3
Street photography with Pentax K-1
84
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
70
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
very good ISO range (204,800)
heavier than competition in class (1,010g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography advice
Pentax K-1 Sports photography advice
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (6.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12MP)
bad battery (300 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic MP (36MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proof
supports phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.4 frames/s)
terrible battery life (760 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL3
Travel photography with Pentax K-1
44
does not have Timelapse mode
bad battery (300 CIPA)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
53
weather proof
fantastic MP (36MP)
terrible battery life (760 per charge)
heavier than competition in class (1,010g)
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL3
Landscape photography with Pentax K-1
61
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery (300 per charge)
does not have Timelapse mode
81
focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3.2 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic MP (36 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
does not have anti-alias filter
very good ISO range (204,800)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
has double storage slots
terrible battery life (760 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging features
Pentax K-1 Vlogging features
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
does not have external microphone port
31
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external mic port
does not contain selfie friendly display
heavier than competition in class (1,010 grams)
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax K-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax K-1
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Pentax 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