Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-500

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-3 versus Pentax K-500, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) have totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-3 was launched 6 years before the K-500 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-3 matches up versus the K-500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-3 & Pentax K-500. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.

If you're going to carry around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-3 features exterior measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Pentax K-500 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") having a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

See the Olympus E-3 versus Pentax K-500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the E-3 compared to the K-500.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and K-500 is 56 and 64 respectively.

Usually, it is very tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizes merely by researching specifications. The image underneath will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-3 and K-500.

Plainly, both of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-3 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Pentax K-500 will provide you with greater detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged E-3 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.