Canon ELPH 500 HS vs. Pentax Optio E85 - An In-Depth Comparison of Compact Camera Capabilities

Choosing the right compact camera remains a surprisingly intricate decision, especially given the nuanced trade-offs between feature sets, image quality, and portability. In this comprehensive comparison, we dissect two entry-level compact cameras - the Canon ELPH 500 HS (also known as the IXUS 310 HS or IXY 31S) and the Pentax Optio E85 - delving into their technical merits, real-world performance across photography genres, and practical usability considerations. Our hands-on experience testing hundreds of similar cameras allows informed insights tailored to both enthusiasts and professionals seeking an affordable secondary camera or compact all-rounder.

Setting the Stage: Physical Design and Ergonomics Matter More Than Ever

Before addressing image quality or feature lists, how a camera feels in one’s hand can decisively impact shooting experience. The Canon ELPH 500 HS, announced in early 2011, epitomizes Canon’s signature design philosophy of sleek, pocket-friendly yet thoughtfully ergonomic compacts. The Pentax E85, arriving in late 2009, skews smaller and lighter but with fewer ergonomic refinements.

While both cameras fit pocket-sized profiles, the Canon’s slightly larger body (101 x 56 x 25mm vs. Pentax’s 93 x 58 x 24mm) affords somewhat improved grip with rounded edges, addressing comfort for extended shooting sessions.

Despite the Canon’s marginally greater heft (185g vs. 145g), it offers a balance of portability and secure handling - a boon for casual travel shooters and street photographers who need both discretion and steadiness. The Pentax’s ultra-compact size is ideal when strict minimalism is paramount, although its boxier shape and less contoured design may lead to slippery hands or more shake-induced blur in suboptimal conditions.

Control Layout and Intuitive Operation – Less Can Be More?

User interface design is a critical element especially in compact cameras where control real estate is limited. The Canon ELPH 500 HS impresses with a more modern approach, featuring touchscreen capabilities, whereas the Pentax E85 maintains a traditional button-focused control system.

The Canon’s top controls are streamlined and integrated with a 3.2-inch PureColor II Touch TFT LCD for intuitive menu traversal and autofocus point selection, a rare feature in compacts from its era. The Pentax relies on manual button presses with a smaller 2.7-inch screen, lacking touchscreen interaction.

On the Canon, touchscreen AF and menu navigation enhance workflow speed and reduce frustration, especially useful in candid street shooting or quick travel captures. The Pentax, while simpler, may feel outdated - particularly when seeking to rapidly change settings in dynamic environments. Neither camera offers customizable dials or advanced manual exposure; however, Canon’s inclusion of shutter and aperture priority modes grants more creative control, appealing to hobbyists and enthusiasts stepping up from smartphone photography.

Sensor Technology and Image Quality - Canon’s CMOS Advantage Over Pentax’s CCD

At the heart of any digital camera’s image quality lies its sensor, and here the contrast is stark yet telling. Both cameras employ a 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55mm) sensor format with a resolution of 12 megapixels, but the Canon utilizes a BSI-CMOS sensor, while the Pentax opts for a conventional CCD.

The Canon’s back-illuminated CMOS sensor architecture provides enhanced light-gathering efficiency, yielding superior noise performance and better high ISO capabilities. In contrast, the Pentax’s CCD sensor, though capable of producing pleasing color rendition under ideal light, generally suffers in low light with higher noise and diminished dynamic range.

Our controlled lab tests and real-world shooting affirm the Canon’s advantage in producing cleaner images at ISO 800 and above, an important consideration across multiple genres such as night photography, events, and indoor portraits. The Pentax’s lower maximum shutter speed (1/2000s vs. Canon’s 1/1600s) also marginally limits its ability to capture fast action without motion blur, though this is less consequential given its slower continuous shooting rate.

Display and Viewfinding: Navigating Compositions with Clarity

For point-and-shooters, the rear LCD and viewfinder systems are fundamental compositional aids. Neither camera includes an electronic viewfinder, directing all framing tasks onto their respective LCDs.

The Canon’s 3.2-inch, 461k-dot touchscreen offers higher resolution and better frame coverage than the Pentax’s 2.7-inch, 230k-dot fixed screen. The Canon’s PureColor II technology delivers brighter, more accurate color rendering, facilitating easier composition under sunlight, while the Pentax screen often appears dimmer and grainier.

Functionally, the Canon’s touchscreen support not only simplifies AF point selection in live view but also enables on-screen menu navigation, significantly enhancing usability. The Pentax offers a more basic LCD interface that, while straightforward, may frustrate users accustomed to touch or fast menu access.

Autofocus Systems and Burst Shooting: Keeping the Moment Sharp

Speed and accuracy of autofocus can define success or failure across wildlife, sports, and street photography. Both cameras are equipped with fixed lenses providing focal length multipliers around 5.8x, but they differ considerably in AF mechanisms.

Canon ELPH 500 HS: Employs a 9-point contrast-detection AF system complemented by face detection and touch AF. It lacks phase-detection but compensates through intelligent DIGIC 4 processing and iSAPS technology that prioritizes subjects and reduces hunting, improving AF reliability particularly in good light.

Pentax E85: Features a simpler contrast-based AF with no face detection or touch focus, relying on a single AF point. Its slower AF speed and lack of continuous autofocus tracking hinder its utility for moving subjects.

In burst shooting, the Canon’s 3fps continuous shooting offers modestly better chances to capture fleeting moments, versus Pentax’s single frame per second maximum, which is inadequate for fast action.

Lens Characteristics and Zoom Range: Flexibility Versus Range

The optical zoom range and aperture directly affect compositional options and low-light handling. The Canon ELPH 500 HS sports a 24-105mm equivalent lens (4.4x optical zoom) with a maximum aperture varying from f/2.0 (wide) to f/5.8 (tele). The Pentax Optio E85’s lens offers a 32-96mm zoom (3x optical) with apertures from f/2.9 to f/5.2.

Wider angle coverage (24mm vs. 32mm) provides the Canon a significant advantage for landscape and architectural photographers desiring expansive views without resorting to panoramas, while its brighter wide aperture (f/2.0) enhances low-light and shallow depth-of-field effects, such as available bokeh for portraits or macro subject isolation. The Pentax’s narrower field of view limits compositional versatility and has a slower wide aperture, which reduces background blur and low-light agility. However, the Pentax’s lens is slightly brighter at the tele-end (f/5.2 vs. f/5.8), though this difference is marginal in practice.

Practical Imaging: Sample Photos that Tell the Story

Examining representative images from both cameras reveals tangible differences in color fidelity, noise levels, and dynamic range.

Canon ELPH 500 HS front Canon ELPH 500 HS screen back Pentax E85 front Pentax E85 screen back

Portrait shots shot on Canon benefit from effective face detection autofocus and faster wide aperture, rendering selective focus and pleasing bokeh previously rare in compacts of this class. Landscape shots capture more shadow detail and less highlight clipping thanks to Canon’s improved sensor dynamic range, whereas Pentax landscapes may appear flattened.

How Do They Fare Across Photography Genres?

We benchmarked both cameras against key use cases to help prospective buyers understand their strengths and compromises in real scenarios.

• Portraits: Canon leads with face detection, wider aperture, and skin tone accuracy. Pentax’s lack of face AF limits portrait sharpness reliability.
• Landscapes: Canon’s wider angle and superior dynamic range yield noticeably better results.
• Wildlife: Neither ideal, but Canon’s faster continuous shooting and AF edges Pentax in capturing brief movements.
• Sports: Both struggle; Canon’s higher fps and shutter priority mode help but performance is limited by sensor size and AF system.
• Street: Canon’s discreet size with touchscreen and rapid AF provide advantages over the Pentax’s simpler interface.
• Macro: Canon’s 3cm macro focus range outperforms Pentax’s 10cm minimum, allowing closer subject framing.
• Night/Astro: Canon’s CMOS sensor and higher ISO usability offer far better results.
• Video: Canon supports full HD 1080p at 24fps with H.264 compression, whereas Pentax is limited to VGA 640x480 at 30fps with Motion JPEG, resulting in weaker motion clarity and larger file sizes.
• Travel: Canon’s better battery life (180 shots vs unknown for Pentax), touchscreen, and lens versatility make it the smarter travel companion.
• Professional Work: Neither a professional main camera, but Canon’s RAW support absence limits post-processing latitude; Pentax also lacks RAW.

Construction, Weather Sealing, and Durability

Neither camera is weather-sealed or engineered for rugged use. The Canon offers a solid build and a sturdy battery compartment with NB-6L battery, while Pentax’s unknown battery life and unspecified battery type (D-LI95) may concern travelers needing reliability and spares easily.

Neither model offers dustproof or waterproof features. Both are best suited to controlled environments or casual outdoor use on clear days.

Connectivity and Storage - Modest at Best

Both cameras disappoint in wireless connectivity, with no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or NFC, meaning image transfer and remote control options are limited to USB 2.0 wired connections. Canon's includes HDMI output, broadening options for direct playback on television screens, which Pentax lacks.

Memory is handled via SD/SDHC/SDXC cards for Canon and SD/SDHC plus internal storage on the Pentax - a feature that can be convenient for quick backups but limited in capacity. Lack of dual card slots also constrains professional reliability concerns.

Battery Performance: Essential for Extended Use

Canon documents approximately 180 shots per full charge - typical of this sensor and processor class but on the lower side for field work without spares. Pentax not listing battery life is disconcerting, but general user feedback suggests a modest battery endurance, likely less than Canon’s due to less efficient processor technology.

Raw Image Support and Post-Processing Flexibility

Neither camera offers RAW capture, constraining post-processing flexibility essential for advanced users who demand maximum dynamic range and color adjustments. This limitation underscores both cameras’ positioning as point-and-shoot, JPEG-focused tools primarily targeting casual or novice photographers.

Price and Value: Analysis Based on Market Positioning

With a street price around $175 for the Canon ELPH 500 HS (or new old stock) and the Pentax E85 generally available only as used or discontinued, the Canon represents better value for both feature set and image quality. The Pentax may appeal strictly to collectors or those prioritizing ultra-compact size and basic functionality at no cost.

Summarizing with Performance Scores and Recommendations

Final Thoughts: Who Should Choose Which?

Choose the Canon ELPH 500 HS if you:

• Desire better all-around image quality, especially for portraits, landscape, and low light.
• Value touchscreen interface for quick operation.
• Shoot casual HD video and want full 1080p resolution.
• Prefer a more versatile zoom with wider angle.
• Appreciate face detection and faster autofocus responsiveness.
• Want a camera with decent battery life and HDMI out for instant playback.

Reserve the Pentax Optio E85 for:

• Budget-limited users willing to forfeit image quality and features.
• Those needing an extremely compact, pocketable camera without touchscreen complexity.
• Basic snapshot photography in bright conditions without need for video or advanced AF.
• Casual users or collectors interested in simple point-and-shoot nostalgia.

Closing Reflection

While both the Canon ELPH 500 HS and Pentax Optio E85 represent outdated small sensor compacts suitable for casual photography, the Canon’s CMOS sensor, advanced processing, touchscreen operability, and broader feature set mark it out as the superior choice for most users seeking compact convenience without compromising essential performance. The Pentax, launched earlier and simpler, may suffice for elementary use but will limit creativity and adaptability in today’s photography environments.

End-users drawn to reliability, image quality, and modern ease of use will appreciate what the Canon brings to the table. Meanwhile, Pentax’s offering serves as a reminder of rapid innovation rippling through compact cameras, highlighting how sensor technology and user interface advancements transformed even small, affordable cameras within a few years.

This detailed comparative analysis reflects not just the raw specs but real-world workflows and photographic demands, empowering you to make an informed camera selection grounded on proven testing and balanced evaluation rather than marketing hyperbole. Whether your priorities are travel convenience, portrait finesse, or creative video capture, understanding these subtle yet impactful differences ensures your investment aligns perfectly with your photographic ambitions.