Olympus PEN Lite
E-PL3
 vs
Pentax
K-01

Updated (September, 2012): Compare the Olympus PEN E-PL5 vs Pentax K-01

Pentax K-01

83

  
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

53

  
Winner

Pentax K-01

Reasons to buy the Pentax K-01

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,135 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
79.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.7 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.9 EV
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
 

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Movie continuous focus
 Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Size
 Really small
Mid size 109x63x37 mm
Thickness
 Thin
1.5"
Weight
 Light-weight
313 g
 

differences

Advantages of the Olympus E-PL3
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Size Significantly smaller 109x63x37 mm vs 122x79x58 mm
Help
 2.1x smaller
Weight Much lighter 313 g vs 561 g
Help
 More than 40% lighter
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 2.3"
Help
 Around 40% thinner
Longest exposure Longer exposures 60s vs 30s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Learn more about
the Olympus E-PL3

Advantages of the Pentax K-01
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,135 ISO vs 499 ISO
Help
 The K-01 has excellent image quality 1.2 f-stops higher ISO than the E-PL3
Overall image quality Much better image quality 79.0 vs 52.0
Help
 More than 50% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.9 EV vs 10.3 EV
Help
 2.6 f-stops more dynamic range
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 20.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 2.8 more bits of color
Battery life Much longer battery life 500 shots vs 300 shots
Help
 Around 70% more shots per battery charge
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Lens availability Much more lenses available 90 lenses vs 26 lenses
Help
 Around 3.5x more lenses available
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The K-01's maximum light sensitivity is 3 f-stops better
Focus points More focus points 81 vs 35
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
True resolution Higher true resolution 16.1 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The K-01's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-C 23.7x15.7mm vs Four thirds 17.3x13.0mm
Help
 Around 70% larger sensor
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Pentax K-01 Learn more about
the Pentax K-01
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3
53 vs 83
Explain scores
Pentax K-01 Pentax K-01
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Pentax K-01.

similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Sensor shift
External flash Each supports an external flash Help
Better lighting
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Viewfinder No viewfinders Help
Can only preview photos on the screen

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PL5

Olympus PEN E-PL5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
Light sensitivity Significantly higher maximum light sensitivity
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Compare the PEN E-PL5 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Compare the PEN E-PL5 vs the K-01
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$650 - $699 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Significantly higher maximum light sensitivity
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Lens availability Slightly fewer lenses available
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Compare the NEX-5N vs the K-01
Olympus PEN E-PM2

Olympus PEN E-PM2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$767 with 14-42mm lens
Light sensitivity Significantly higher maximum light sensitivity
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Compare the PEN E-PM2 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Compare the PEN E-PM2 vs the K-01
Samsung NX1000

Samsung NX1000

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$325 - $499 with 20-50mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Panorama Creates panoramas in-camera
Lens availability Slightly fewer lenses available
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the NX1000 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Compare the NX1000 vs the K-01
Sony Alpha NEX-F3

Sony NEX-F3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$399 - $730 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Panorama Creates panoramas in-camera
Lens availability Slightly fewer lenses available
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the NEX-F3 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Compare the NEX-F3 vs the K-01
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$229 - $239 body only

$399 - $419 with 14-42mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the K-01
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$497 with 10-30mm lens
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor
Compare the 1 J1 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Compare the 1 J1 vs the K-01

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PM1

Olympus PEN E-PM1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$299 with 14-42mm lens
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera
3D Takes 3D photos
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the PEN E-PM1 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Olympus PEN E-P3

Olympus PEN E-P3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$369 with 14-42mm lens
Screen type Has an OLED screen
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly slower
Compare the PEN E-P3 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Olympus PEN E-PL2

Olympus PEN E-PL2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
Startup delay Less startup delay
Color depth Better color depth
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the PEN E-PL2 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$339 - $514 with 14-42mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
3D Takes 3D photos
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3

Pentax K-01 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Pentax K-30

Pentax K-30

Entry-level DSLR

$508 - $690 body only

$559 - $780 with 18-55mm lens
Weather sealed Weather sealed
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Focus points Significantly fewer focus points
Compare the K-30 vs the K-01
Pentax K-5

Pentax K-5

Entry-level DSLR

$692 - $699 body only

$828 - $829 with 18-55mm lens
Weather sealed Weather sealed
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
Supports 24p No 24p support
Focus points Significantly fewer focus points
Compare the K-5 vs the K-01
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
Lens availability Much more lenses available
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the D5100 vs the K-01
Pentax Q

Pentax Q

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$279 with 5-15mm lens
Size Much smaller
Weight Much lighter
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Much worse image quality
Compare the Q vs the K-01
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$447 - $740 with 18-55mm lens
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
Lens availability Much more lenses available
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the D3100 vs the K-01

appearance

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Pentax K-01
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Pentax K-01
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Pentax K-01

discussion

Showing 1 comments

Avatar for Pete Perry Pete Perry (4:57 AM, April 01, 2013)
What about the faster focus speed and fps of the Olympus and the ability to use the lenses on other manufacturers bodies?