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Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax I-10

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Pentax Optio I-10 front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
24
Overall
30

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax I-10 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
  • Released September 2011
  • Older Model is Olympus E-PL2
Pentax I-10
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 153g - 101 x 65 x 28mm
  • Released January 2010
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax I-10 Overview

Here is a complete review of the Olympus E-PL3 versus Pentax I-10, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the I-10 (12MP) is very close but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and I-10 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor size.

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The E-PL3 was released 21 months later than the I-10 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax I-10 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-PL3 matches up against the I-10 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Pentax I-10

 E-PL3 I-10 
ReleasedSeptember 2011January 2010Fresher by 21 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax I-10 over the Olympus E-PL3

 I-10 E-PL3 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax I-10

 E-PL3 I-10 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch display Neither features Touch display

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax I-10 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you will have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys outer dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Pentax I-10 has sizing of 101mm x 65mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") with a weight of 153 grams (0.34 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL3 versus Pentax I-10 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select during that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the I-10.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax I-10 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and I-10 is 88 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax I-10 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax I-10 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be tough to picture the contrast in sensor sizing simply by researching specifications. The photograph below might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and I-10.

To sum up, each of these cameras enjoy the same exact MP but different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 uses the larger sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow depth of field less difficult. The newer E-PL3 should have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax I-10 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax I-10 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax I-10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax I-10 as a Portrait photography camera
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
27
manual focus
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Street photography camera
Pentax I-10 as a Street photography camera
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
56
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography highlights
Pentax I-10 Sports photography highlights
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (6.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery (300 shots)
lack of phase detect auto focus
31
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL3
Travel photography with Pentax I-10
44
no Timelapse function
not so great battery (300 CIPA)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
57
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse function
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography factors
Pentax I-10 Landscape photography factors
61
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery (300 shots)
no Timelapse function
36
manual focus
relatively wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL3
Vlogging with Pentax I-10
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
no external microphone socket
28
relatively wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone port
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax I-10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax I-10
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Pentax Optio I-10
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL3 Pentax Optio I-10
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2011-09-20 2010-01-25
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic VI Prime
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 10cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech 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 speed 6.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313 grams (0.69 pounds) 153 grams (0.34 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 101 x 65 x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photographs -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $399 $310