Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax W60

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax W60, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the W60 (10MP) is pretty well matched but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and W60 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL3 was released 2 years after the W60 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax W60 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a short view of how the E-PL3 scores vs the W60 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Pentax Optio W60. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Pentax W60 Gallery.

When you are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys physical 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 W60 has sizing of 98mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") along with a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax W60 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the W60.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and W60 is 88 and 94 respectively.

Typically, it is very difficult to envision the contrast between sensor sizes purely by checking specifications. The picture below should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and W60.

To sum up, both of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL3 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL3 will resolve greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots far more aggressively. The more recent E-PL3 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.