Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Efina

On this page, we will be looking at the Olympus E-500 and Pentax Efina, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and Efina (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and Efina (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-500 was manufactured 8 years prior to the Efina and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax Efina being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting right into a full comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-500 scores against the Efina with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 and Pentax Efina. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Pentax Efina Gallery.

When you are going to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 features external dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Pentax Efina has specifications of 87mm x 54mm x 21mm (3.4" x 2.1" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 91 grams (0.20 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 and Pentax Efina in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the E-500 versus the Efina.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and Efina is 70 and 97 respectively.

Generally, it is tough to visualise the difference between sensor sizing just by checking technical specs. The photograph here might give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and Efina.

As you can tell, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-500 featuring a bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Pentax Efina will give you extra detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.