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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax MX-1

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
26
Overall
31
Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 front
 
Pentax MX-1 front
Portability
84
Imaging
37
Features
60
Overall
46

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax MX-1 Key Specs

Olympus Tough-3000
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.5-5.1) lens
  • 159g - 96 x 65 x 23mm
  • Revealed January 2010
  • Other Name is mju Tough 3000
Pentax MX-1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
  • Launched July 2013
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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax MX-1 Overview

Below is a in-depth review of the Olympus Tough-3000 and Pentax MX-1, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and the MX-1 (12MP) is relatively similar but the Tough-3000 (1/2.3") and MX-1 (1/1.7") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The Tough-3000 was introduced 4 years before the MX-1 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before delving straight to a full comparison, here is a simple view of how the Tough-3000 matches up vs the MX-1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus Tough-3000 over the Pentax MX-1

 Tough-3000 MX-1 

Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Olympus Tough-3000

 MX-1 Tough-3000 
LaunchedJuly 2013January 2010More recent by 42 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kSharper screen (+690k dot)

Common features in the Olympus Tough-3000 and Pentax MX-1

 Tough-3000 MX-1 
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither offers Touch friendly screen

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax MX-1 Physical Comparison

If you're going to lug around your camera, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus Tough-3000 offers external dimensions of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") and a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Pentax MX-1 has sizing of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs).

Check the Olympus Tough-3000 and Pentax MX-1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that moment. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the Tough-3000 against the MX-1.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax MX-1 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the Tough-3000 and MX-1 is 94 and 84 respectively.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax MX-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax MX-1 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to envision the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading specs. The visual here will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the Tough-3000 and MX-1.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras come with the identical MP albeit not the same sensor measurements. The Tough-3000 has the tinier sensor which will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult. The older Tough-3000 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax MX-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Portrait photography info
Pentax MX-1 Portrait photography info
21
manual focus not available
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
42
focusing manually
has face detect focus
supports RAW files
cannot use external flash
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Street photography factors
Pentax MX-1 Street photography factors
62
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
65
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
very small sensor (1/1.7")
heavier than competition (391 grams)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Sports photography advice
Pentax MX-1 Sports photography advice
36
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with tracking focus
environment sealing
max frames per second low (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
43
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking focus
good battery pack (290 CIPA)
max fps low (1.0 frames per second)
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Travel photography information
Pentax MX-1 Travel photography information
61
environment sealing
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
61
good battery pack (290 CIPA)
flash built-in
rather wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
missing Time Lapse function
heavier than competition (391 grams)
low MP (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus Tough-3000
Landscape photography with Pentax MX-1
35
pretty wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no manual control
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
lack of Time Lapse function
55
focusing manually
rather wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
good battery pack (290 shots)
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax MX-1 as a Vlogging camera
28
pretty wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of mic port
33
rather wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing mic socket
heavier than competition (391 grams)
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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax MX-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus Tough-3000 and Pentax MX-1
 Olympus Stylus Tough-3000Pentax MX-1
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 Pentax MX-1
Other name mju Tough 3000 -
Class Waterproof Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2010-01-07 2013-07-01
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/1.7"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3968 x 2976 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 64 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-102mm (3.6x) 28-112mm (4.0x)
Max aperture f/3.5-5.1 f/1.8-2.5
Macro focus distance 2cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.9 4.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology - TFT LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 1.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.00 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 159 grams (0.35 lbs) 391 grams (0.86 lbs)
Physical dimensions 96 x 65 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 49
DXO Color Depth score not tested 20.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.3
DXO Low light score not tested 208
Other
Battery life - 290 photos
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model - D-Li-106
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $0 $400