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Nikon P300 vs Olympus E-P3 Comparison

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Nikon P300

12 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon P300
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Olympus E-P3

12 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Olympus E-P3
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Nikon P300 vs Olympus E-P3 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon P300, which was introduced in May 2011 is a Small Sensor Compact camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Olympus E-P3, which was introduced in August 2011 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 12.0MP Four Thirds sensor. There is only 3 months difference between P300 and E-P3 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon P300 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-05-31
  • 12MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 3200
  • 24-100 mm F1.8-4.9 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 7 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 120fps High-Speed Video
  • 189g. 103 x 58 x 32 mm

Olympus E-P3 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-08-17
  • 12MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 369g. 122 x 69 x 34 mm
  • Replaced Olympus PEN E-P2 Compare

Nikon P300 was replaced by Nikon Coolpix P310. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon Coolpix P310 vs Nikon Coolpix P300
Nikon Coolpix P310 vs Olympus PEN E-P3

Olympus E-P3 was replaced by Olympus PEN E-P5. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus PEN E-P5 vs Olympus PEN E-P3
Olympus PEN E-P5 vs Nikon Coolpix P300

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix P300 over Olympus PEN E-P3
LCD Screen Resolution
922k dots vs 614k dots 50% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting
7.0fps vs 3.0fps 4 fps faster
Weight
189 g vs 369 g 180 g lighter


Reasons to choose Olympus PEN E-P3 over Nikon Coolpix P300
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max ISO
12.800 vs 3.200 300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
35 vs 9 26 more focus points
Max Mech. Shutter
1/4000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life
330 shots vs 240 shots 90 more frames with a single charge
Flash Coverage
10.0m vs 6.5m 3.5m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
18.45µm2 vs 2.34µm2 688% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix P300 and Olympus PEN E-P3
Image Stabilization
Optical vs Sensor-shift Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix P300 and Olympus PEN E-P3
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Nikon P300 vs Olympus E-P3: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon P300 has external dimensions of 103 x 58 x 32 mm (4.06 x 2.28 x 1.26″) and weighs 189 g (0.42 lb / 6.67 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-P3 has external dimensions of 122 x 69 x 34 mm (4.8 x 2.72 x 1.34″) and weighs 369 g (0.81 lb / 13.02 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3. Nikon P300 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 19mm narrower, 11mm shorter and 2mm thinner than Olympus E-P3. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon P300 has a built-in lens but Olympus E-P3 doesn't. Once you put a lens on E-P3, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon P300 vs Olympus E-P3 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3.

Nikon P300 vs Olympus E-P3 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3.
Nikon P300 vs Olympus E-P3 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon P300 is significantly lighter (180g ) than the Olympus E-P3 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on E-P3, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix P300 nor Olympus PEN E-P3 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon P300 vs Olympus E-P3: Sensor Comparison

Both Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3 have 12.0 MP resolution sensors but Nikon P300's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) and Olympus E-P3's sensor is Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ).

Since Olympus E-P3's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Nikon P300.

Below you can see the P300 and E-P3 sensor size comparison.

Nikon P300 vs Olympus E-P3 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3 Cameras


As seen above, Olympus E-P3 has a 8.0x Larger sensor area than Nikon P300. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon P300 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Olympus E-P3 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon P300 for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-P3 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f1.80
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Nikon P300 for Sports Photography

POOR

Olympus E-P3 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 240 shots
100 mm Tele Lens
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
35 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon P300 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-P3 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Compact Body
189g
4.2X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
369g
Read the details

Nikon P300 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus E-P3 for Landscape Photography

POOR
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon P300 vs Olympus E-P3: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon P300 and Olympus E-P3 scores compare:

Nikon P300
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #177 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #732 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Olympus E-P3
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #54 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #284 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Olympus E-P3 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon P300 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon P300. Otherwise, Olympus E-P3 is the better camera overall.

Nikon P300
Nikon P300
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Olympus E-P3
Olympus E-P3
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Olympus E-P3 vs Nikon P300 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix P300 Olympus PEN E-P3
Brand Nikon Olympus
Announced 2011-05-31 2011-08-17
Body Type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch Four Thirds
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 17.3 x 13 mm
Area 28.07mm2 224.90mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 4000 x 3000 4032 x 3024
Max Native Light sensitivity 3,200 ISO 12,800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 9 35
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens Focal Range 24-100 mm (4.2×) no lens
Max Aperture F1.8-4.9 no lens
Macro Focus Range 3cm no lens
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 922k dots 614k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Electronic (optional)
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/2000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Optical Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 6.50 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 200)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 7.0 fps 3.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 189g 369g
Dimensions 103 x 58 x 32mm 122 x 69 x 34mm
Battery Life 240 shots 330 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 51
DxO Color Depth not tested 20.8
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 10.1
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 536
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