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Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
35
Overall
36
Olympus VR-320 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Olympus VR-320
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-300mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
  • 158g - 101 x 58 x 29mm
  • Introduced July 2011
  • Refreshed by Olympus VR-330
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • 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
  • Released April 2015
  • Old Model is Pentax K-3
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Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Following is a extended comparison of the Olympus VR-320 versus Pentax K-3 II, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the VR-320 (14MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the VR-320 (1/2.3") and K-3 II (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The VR-320 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the K-3 II which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VR-320 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a short highlight of how the VR-320 grades vs the K-3 II for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VR-320 over the Pentax K-3 II

 VR-320 K-3 II 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Olympus VR-320

 K-3 II VR-320 
ReleasedApril 2015July 2011More modern by 45 months
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Screen size3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VR-320 and Pentax K-3 II

 VR-320 K-3 II 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Absent Touch screen

Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus VR-320 comes with outer dimensions of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 II has sizing of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Compare the Olympus VR-320 versus Pentax K-3 II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Below is a front view scale comparison of the VR-320 compared to the K-3 II.

Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the VR-320 and K-3 II is 94 and 59 respectively.

Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

Often, its difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizes only by checking out specifications. The picture here might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the VR-320 and K-3 II.

To sum up, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The VR-320 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-3 II will provide greater detail due to its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more aged VR-320 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus VR-320
Portrait photography with Pentax K-3 II
33
resolution is good (14MP)
comes with face detect focus
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
79
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focusing
saves RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus VR-320 Street photography highlights
Pentax K-3 II Street photography highlights
62
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average (158g)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
great high ISO (51,200)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VR-320 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Sports photography camera
47
great zoom range (24-300mm 12.5 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
environment proofing
has phase detect AF
bad battery (720 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VR-320 Travel photography info
Pentax K-3 II Travel photography info
70
lighter than average (158g)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
great reach (300mm)
no Time Lapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
56
environment proofing
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
bad battery (720 per charge)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus VR-320
Landscape photography with Pentax K-3 II
42
relatively wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (14MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
no manual exposure
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
no Time Lapse recording
78
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is decent (3.2 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
great high ISO (51,200)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
2 card slots
bad battery (720 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VR-320 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Vlogging camera
32
relatively wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detect focus
lighter than average (158g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic socket
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has mic support
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Olympus VR-320 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VR-320 and Pentax K-3 II
 Olympus VR-320Pentax K-3 II
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus VR-320 Pentax K-3 II
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2011-07-19 2015-04-23
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Prime III
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 6016 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 1600 51200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 27
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 24-300mm (12.5x) -
Highest aperture f/3.0-5.9 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Available lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3.2 inches
Screen resolution 230k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate - 8.3 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.70 m no built-in flash
Flash modes 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)
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 158 grams (0.35 lbs) 800 grams (1.76 lbs)
Physical dimensions 101 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 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 - 720 pictures
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-42B D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 2
Pricing at launch $179 $829