Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax KP

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax KP, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and KP (24MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and KP (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL3 was manufactured 6 years prior to the KP which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax KP being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-PL3 scores versus the KP for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Pentax KP. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Pentax KP Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry around your camera, you will need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL3 has got outside dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Pentax KP has proportions of 132mm x 101mm x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0") along with a weight of 703 grams (1.55 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax KP in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the KP.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and KP is 88 and 61 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to see the gap between sensor sizes only by reading through technical specs. The pic underneath should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and KP.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL3 featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field tougher and the Pentax KP will give you more detail due to its extra 12MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.