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Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Olympus VG-120 front
 
Pentax K-3 front
Portability
59
Imaging
65
Features
85
Overall
73

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 Key Specs

Olympus VG-120
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Launched January 2011
Pentax K-3
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Launched April 2014
  • Newer Model is Pentax K-3 II
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Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 Overview

Following is a extended assessment of the Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3, one is a Ultracompact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a big difference between the sensor resolutions of the VG-120 (14MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the VG-120 (1/2.3") and K-3 (APS-C) use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The VG-120 was introduced 4 years prior to the K-3 which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the VG-120 scores vs the K-3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Pentax K-3

 VG-120 K-3 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 over the Olympus VG-120

 K-3 VG-120 
LaunchedApril 2014January 2011More modern by 39 months
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VG-120 and Pentax K-3

 VG-120 K-3 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus VG-120 provides exterior dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-3 has proportions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Examine the Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the VG-120 compared to the K-3.

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the VG-120 and K-3 is 96 and 59 respectively.

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizes merely by looking at specs. The picture underneath will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-120 and K-3.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The VG-120 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-3 will give greater detail using its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged VG-120 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-3 as a Portrait photography camera
33
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
features face detection focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
79
manual focus
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Street photography factors
Pentax K-3 Street photography factors
48
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
great ISO range (51,200)
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-3 as a Sports photography camera
26
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
not so great battery life (160 CIPA)
lacks phase detect auto focus
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has tracking focus
environment proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
terrible battery pack (560 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Travel photography information
Pentax K-3 Travel photography information
62
megapixel count good (14MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (26mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
not so great battery life (160 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
60
environment proof
good MP (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
terrible battery pack (560 CIPA)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Landscape photography details
Pentax K-3 Landscape photography details
36
quite wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
lack of manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
not so great battery life (160 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse function
77
manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
does not have anti-alias filter
great ISO range (51,200)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
2 card slots
terrible battery pack (560 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Vlogging features
Pentax K-3 Vlogging features
28
quite wide (26mm)
features face detection focus
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone port
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes microphone support
display is not selfie friendly
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Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-120 and Pentax K-3
 Olympus VG-120Pentax K-3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus VG-120 Pentax K-3
Category Ultracompact Advanced DSLR
Launched 2011-01-06 2014-04-10
Physical type Ultracompact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Prime III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 4288 x 3216 6016 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 1600 51200
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points - 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focusing distance 7cm -
Total lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3.2 inches
Display resolution 230k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT Color LCD TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate - 8.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.40 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, on, off, red-eye, slow sync, slow sync + red-eye, trailing curtain sync, high speed, wireless, manual
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 120g (0.26 lbs) 800g (1.76 lbs)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 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 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 1216
Other
Battery life 160 images 560 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-70B D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Two
Price at release $190 $639