Olympus 9000 vs Pentax K-3

In this article, we are analyzing the Olympus 9000 and Pentax K-3, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the 9000 (12MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the 9000 (1/2.3") and K-3 (APS-C) possess different sensor sizing.

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The 9000 was released 5 years prior to the K-3 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus 9000 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving through a full comparison, below is a short highlight of how the 9000 scores vs the K-3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 9000 and Pentax K-3. The complete galleries are available at Olympus 9000 Gallery and Pentax K-3 Gallery.

If you're planning to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus 9000 enjoys physical measurements of 96mm x 60mm x 31mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") with a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-3 has measurements of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Look at the Olympus 9000 and Pentax K-3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at that moment. The following is the front view size comparison of the 9000 compared to the K-3.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 9000 and K-3 is 92 and 59 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to picture the gap in sensor dimensions purely by checking out specs. The image below will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the 9000 and K-3.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The 9000 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Pentax K-3 will produce more detail as a result of its extra 12MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics far more aggressively. The more aged 9000 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.