Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-3 II

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus TG-310 and Pentax K-3 II, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the TG-310 (14MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the TG-310 (1/2.3") and K-3 II (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The TG-310 was unveiled 5 years before the K-3 II and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-310 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go right into a more detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the TG-310 matches up against the K-3 II when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus TG-310 and Pentax K-3 II. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus TG-310 Gallery and Pentax K-3 II Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-310 enjoys external measurements of 96mm x 63mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9") with a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 II has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus TG-310 and Pentax K-3 II in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the TG-310 and the K-3 II.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the TG-310 and K-3 II is 94 and 59 respectively.

Generally, its tough to see the gap in sensor measurements only by checking out technical specs. The photograph here should give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-310 and K-3 II.

As you can tell, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The TG-310 having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Pentax K-3 II will show greater detail having an extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics way more aggressively. The older TG-310 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.