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Olympus PEN-F vs Sony A300

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 front
Portability
64
Imaging
49
Features
45
Overall
47

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony A300 Key Specs

Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Announced January 2016
Sony A300
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 131 x 99 x 75mm
  • Released January 2008
  • Renewed by Sony A330
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Olympus PEN-F vs Sony A300 Overview

The following is a thorough comparison of the Olympus PEN-F and Sony A300, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and A300 (10MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and A300 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor size.

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The PEN-F was introduced 8 years after the A300 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go into a more detailed comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the PEN-F grades against the A300 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Sony A300

 PEN-F A300 
ReleasedJanuary 2016January 2008Newer by 98 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kSharper screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A300 over the Olympus PEN-F

 A300 PEN-F 

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Sony A300

 PEN-F A300 
Manual focus More exact focus

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony A300 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus PEN-F comes with outer measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") having a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Sony A300 has proportions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus PEN-F and Sony A300 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the PEN-F compared to the A300.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony A300 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the PEN-F and A300 is 84 and 64 respectively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony A300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony A300 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's tough to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions merely by viewing technical specs. The image below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the PEN-F and A300.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The PEN-F with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Olympus PEN-F will result in extra detail using its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The newer PEN-F is going to have a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony A300 sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony A300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony A300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus PEN-F
Portrait photography with Sony A300
75
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
supports RAW files
59
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
low MP (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Street photography camera
Sony A300 as a Street photography camera
84
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
features focus via touch
good high ISO (25,600)
74
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Sports photography details
Sony A300 Sports photography details
67
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
silent shutter (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
not so great battery pack (330 shots)
does not have phase detect auto focus
54
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
low MP (10 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Travel photography info
Sony A300 Travel photography info
75
features focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
not so great battery pack (330 shots)
45
flash built-in
no Time Lapse function
low MP (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Landscape photography features
Sony A300 Landscape photography features
76
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
not so great battery pack (330 CIPA)
57
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
low MP (10 megapixels)
no Time Lapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Vlogging information
Sony A300 Vlogging information
78
selfie friendly display
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone jack
9
lack of video recording
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Olympus PEN-F vs Sony A300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Sony A300
 Olympus PEN-FSony Alpha DSLR-A300
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN-F Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
Type Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2016-01-27 2008-01-30
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Max resolution 5184 x 3888 3872 x 2592
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Minimum enhanced ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x 0.49x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Max silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 427 grams (0.94 lbs) 632 grams (1.39 lbs)
Physical dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 131 x 99 x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 74 64
DXO Color Depth rating 23.1 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 11.4
DXO Low light rating 894 538
Other
Battery life 330 images -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Compact Flash
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $1,000 $0