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Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax E70

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Pentax Optio E70 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
11
Overall
24

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax E70 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
  • Announced September 2011
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL2
Pentax E70
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.4" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-105mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 175g - 94 x 61 x 26mm
  • Launched January 2009
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax E70 Overview

The following is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax E70, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the E70 (10MP) is relatively close but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and E70 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL3 was brought out 2 years after the E70 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax E70 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-PL3 scores vs the E70 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Pentax E70

 E-PL3 E70 
LaunchedSeptember 2011January 2009Newer by 33 months
Focus manually More precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.4"Bigger screen (+0.6")
Screen resolution460k112kSharper screen (+348k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax E70 over the Olympus E-PL3

 E70 E-PL3 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax E70

 E-PL3 E70 
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax E70 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera frequently, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL3 features exterior 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) and the Pentax E70 has measurements of 94mm x 61mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.0") along with a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax E70 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL3 vs the E70.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax E70 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and E70 is 88 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax E70 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax E70 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by researching technical specs. The pic underneath will offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and E70.

As you have seen, both of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL3 will provide you with extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures far more aggressively. The younger E-PL3 is going to have a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax E70 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax E70 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax E70 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography details
Pentax E70 Portrait photography details
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
19
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
low MP (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL3
Street photography with Pentax E70
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
47
no moving screen
no image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography info
Pentax E70 Sports photography info
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (6.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
bad battery power (300 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
16
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax E70 as a Travel photography camera
44
doesn't have Timelapse recording
bad battery power (300 per charge)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
50
has built in flash
no Time Lapse recording
low MP (10 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography details
Pentax E70 Landscape photography details
61
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (300 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
22
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.4 inch)
lack of manual exposure
no image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging details
Pentax E70 Vlogging details
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external microphone jack
22
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no mic socket
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax E70 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax E70
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Pentax Optio E70
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Pentax Optio E70
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2011-09-20 2009-01-05
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 64
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-105mm (3.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.4 inches
Resolution of display 460k dots 112k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 6.0 frames per sec -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) -
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313g (0.69 lbs) 175g (0.39 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 94 x 61 x 26mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photographs -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $399 $140