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Olympus SZ-30MR vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
39
Overall
39
Olympus SZ-30MR front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Olympus SZ-30MR
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Introduced March 2011
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Launched April 2015
  • Replaced the Pentax K-3
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Olympus SZ-30MR vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Below is a in depth review of the Olympus SZ-30MR versus Pentax K-3 II, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the SZ-30MR (16MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the SZ-30MR (1/2.3") and K-3 II (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-30MR was announced 5 years prior to the K-3 II and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-30MR being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the SZ-30MR scores vs the K-3 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-30MR over the Pentax K-3 II

 SZ-30MR K-3 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Olympus SZ-30MR

 K-3 II SZ-30MR 
LaunchedApril 2015March 2011More recent by 50 months
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen dimensions3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SZ-30MR and Pentax K-3 II

 SZ-30MR K-3 II 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-30MR has external measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-3 II has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-30MR versus Pentax K-3 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at the time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the SZ-30MR and the K-3 II.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-30MR and K-3 II is 89 and 59 respectively.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is hard to envision the contrast in sensor measurements purely by researching specs. The visual below might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-30MR and K-3 II.

All in all, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SZ-30MR having a smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh harder and the Pentax K-3 II will render greater detail with its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older SZ-30MR will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-30MR
Portrait photography with Pentax K-3 II
34
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
features face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
79
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with face detect focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SZ-30MR
Street photography with Pentax K-3 II
60
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
69
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
above average high ISO (51,200)
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Sports photography details
Pentax K-3 II Sports photography details
41
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
features tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
terrible battery pack (220 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
weather proof
comes with phase detect auto focus
terrible battery pack (720 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
MP count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
terrible battery pack (220 CIPA)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.0)
56
weather proof
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (720 CIPA)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Landscape photography info
Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography info
41
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
no manual control
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
terrible battery pack (220 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse recording
78
has manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is decent (3.2 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
above average high ISO (51,200)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
two card slots
terrible battery pack (720 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Vlogging information
Pentax K-3 II Vlogging information
34
reasonably wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
does not have mic socket
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have mic socket
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Olympus SZ-30MR vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-30MR and Pentax K-3 II
 Olympus SZ-30MRPentax K-3 II
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus SZ-30MR Pentax K-3 II
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2011-03-02 2015-04-23
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ Prime III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 6016 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 3200 51200
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Available lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3.2 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT Hypercrystal III Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/1700s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 2.0fps 8.3fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync (available with dedicated external flash)
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 pounds) 800 gr (1.76 pounds)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 80
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 1106
Other
Battery life 220 pictures 720 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One Dual
Price at release $279 $829