Olympus E-400 vs Pentax K-500

The following is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-400 and Pentax K-500, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-400 (10MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the E-400 (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-400 was released 8 years before the K-500 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-400 grades versus the K-500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-400 & Pentax K-500. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-400 Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.

If you are planning to travel with your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-400 comes with external dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 435 grams (0.96 lbs) while the Pentax K-500 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-400 and Pentax K-500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-400 compared to the K-500.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-400 and K-500 is 77 and 64 respectively.

Sometimes, it is hard to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions purely by going through a spec sheet. The pic here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-400 and K-500.

As you can see, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-400 due to its smaller sensor will make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Pentax K-500 will show extra detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-400 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.