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Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WS80

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Pentax Optio WS80 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
20
Overall
27

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WS80 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
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL2
Pentax WS80
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-175mm (F3.8-4.7) lens
  • 125g - 92 x 60 x 22mm
  • Announced August 2009
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WS80 Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Pentax WS80, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Waterproof by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the WS80 (10MP) is fairly close but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and WS80 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL3 was brought out 2 years later than the WS80 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax WS80 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a more detailed comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-PL3 grades versus the WS80 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Pentax WS80

 E-PL3 WS80 
AnnouncedSeptember 2011August 2009More recent by 26 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax WS80 over the Olympus E-PL3

 WS80 E-PL3 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax WS80

 E-PL3 WS80 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WS80 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 comes with outer dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Pentax WS80 has dimensions of 92mm x 60mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 0.9") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL3 versus Pentax WS80 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the WS80.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WS80 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and WS80 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WS80 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WS80 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to see the gap in sensor measurements merely by researching a spec sheet. The visual underneath might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and WS80.

As you can see, both of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 because of its larger sensor will make achieving bokeh easier and the Olympus E-PL3 will render greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a little more aggressively. The newer E-PL3 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WS80 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WS80 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WS80 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL3
Portrait photography with Pentax WS80
60
focusing manually
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
supports RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
26
has manual focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
resolution not great (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL3
Street photography with Pentax WS80
84
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
59
environment sealing
lighter than average (125 grams)
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL3
Sports photography with Pentax WS80
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery pack (300 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
23
environment sealing
slow fps (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography advice
Pentax WS80 Travel photography advice
44
does not have Time Lapse mode
not so great battery pack (300 CIPA)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
61
lighter than average (125 grams)
environment sealing
has built in flash
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
wide angle not the best (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography factors
Pentax WS80 Landscape photography factors
61
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (300 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse mode
31
has manual focus
environment sealing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.8)
tiny screen (2.7")
manual exposure not possible
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging advice
Pentax WS80 Vlogging advice
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not feature selfie friendly display
does not have mic jack
25
lighter than average (125 grams)
wide angle not the best (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.8)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone support
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Pentax WS80 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Pentax WS80
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Pentax Optio WS80
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL3 Pentax Optio WS80
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Introduced 2011-09-20 2009-08-05
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
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 surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 64
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 35-175mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.8-4.7
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1500s
Continuous shooting rate 6.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160s -
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), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313g (0.69 pounds) 125g (0.28 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 92 x 60 x 22mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 0.9")
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 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $399 $220