Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-01

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-500 versus Pentax K-01, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and K-01 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and K-01 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor size.

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The E-500 was revealed 7 years prior to the K-01 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax K-01 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-500 matches up against the K-01 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-500 & Pentax K-01. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Pentax K-01 Gallery.

When you are intending to travel with your camera, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 comes with exterior measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Pentax K-01 has specifications of 122mm x 79mm x 58mm (4.8" x 3.1" x 2.3") with a weight of 561 grams (1.24 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-500 versus Pentax K-01 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-500 vs the K-01.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and K-01 is 70 and 76 respectively.

Oftentimes, its hard to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions only by seeing technical specs. The pic here should give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and K-01.

As you have seen, both the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Pentax K-01 will show extra detail because of its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images a little more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.