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Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Olympus VG-120 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 II 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
  • Revealed January 2011
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • 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
  • Earlier Model is Pentax K-3
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Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Below is a detailed analysis of the Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 II, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the VG-120 (14MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the VG-120 (1/2.3") and K-3 II (APS-C) have different sensor size.

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The VG-120 was launched 5 years earlier than the K-3 II and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the VG-120 grades against the K-3 II in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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

 VG-120 K-3 II 

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

 K-3 II VG-120 
LaunchedApril 2015January 2011More recent by 52 months
Focus manually More exact focusing
Display size3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k230kCrisper display (+807k dot)

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

 VG-120 K-3 II 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus VG-120 provides outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-3 II has specifications of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Compare the Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 II in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the VG-120 compared to the K-3 II.

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

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the VG-120 and K-3 II is 96 and 59 respectively.

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

Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its tough to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reviewing technical specs. The visual here might give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-120 and K-3 II.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The VG-120 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Pentax K-3 II will offer you extra detail utilizing its extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The older VG-120 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

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

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

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Portrait photography camera
33
good resolution (14 megapixels)
features face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
79
has manual focus
resolution is good (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
exports RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Street photography camera
48
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
69
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
very good ISO range (51,200)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Sports photography features
Pentax K-3 II Sports photography features
26
good resolution (14MP)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery power (160 per charge)
no phase detect auto focus
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
not so great battery power (720 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Travel photography camera
62
good resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (26mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
bad battery power (160 CIPA)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
56
weather sealing
resolution is good (24MP)
not so great battery power (720 shots)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Landscape photography details
Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography details
36
fairly wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3")
good resolution (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
manual exposure not available
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
bad battery power (160 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
78
has manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3.2 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
no anti aliasing filter
very good ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
has double storage slots
not so great battery power (720 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-3 II Vlogging highlights
28
fairly wide (26mm)
features face detection focus
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external microphone support
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external microphone port
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
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Olympus VG-120 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-120 and Pentax K-3 II
 Olympus VG-120Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus VG-120 Pentax K-3 II
Category Ultracompact Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2011-01-06 2015-04-23
Body design Ultracompact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 14 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Highest resolution 4288 x 3216 6016 x 4000
Highest native ISO 1600 51200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 27
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focus range 7cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3.2 inch
Resolution of display 230k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed - 8.3 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.40 m no built-in flash
Flash options 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
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
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)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 120 grams (0.26 pounds) 800 grams (1.76 pounds)
Physical 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 All around score not tested 80
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.6
DXO Low light score not tested 1106
Other
Battery life 160 pictures 720 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-70B D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One Two
Retail pricing $190 $829