Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II

Below is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the E-PM2 (16MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the E-PM2 (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

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The E-PM2 was manufactured 23 months before the K-3 II which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-PM2 matches up vs the K-3 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PM2 and Pentax K-3 II. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PM2 Gallery and Pentax K-3 II Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PM2 provides external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 II has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PM2 vs Pentax K-3 II in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PM2 and the K-3 II.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM2 and K-3 II is 89 and 59 respectively.

Generally, it's hard to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements purely by looking at a spec sheet. The graphic underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PM2 and K-3 II.

As you can see, each of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PM2 due to its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-3 II will give greater detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The older E-PM2 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.