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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-1

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Pentax K-1 front
Portability
55
Imaging
76
Features
82
Overall
78

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-1 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Successor is Olympus E-510
Pentax K-1
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 1010g - 137 x 110 x 86mm
  • Released February 2016
  • Newer Model is Pentax K-1 II
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-1 Overview

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K-1, both Advanced DSLR cameras by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and K-1 (Full frame) come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-500 was revealed 11 years before the K-1 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-500 grades vs the K-1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Pentax K-1

 E-500 K-1 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-1 over the Olympus E-500

 K-1 E-500 
ReleasedFebruary 2016October 2005Fresher by 125 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3.2"2.5"Larger display (+0.7")
Display resolution1037k215kSharper display (+822k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K-1

 E-500 K-1 
Manually focus Very precise focus
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch display Neither features Touch display

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-1 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-500 enjoys exterior measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Pentax K-1 has measurements of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") with a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K-1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-500 versus the K-1.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and K-1 is 70 and 55 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-1 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is tough to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by going through technical specs. The photograph underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and K-1.

As you have seen, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-500 using its smaller sensor will make achieving bokeh tougher and the Pentax K-1 will show more detail because of its extra 28 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images much more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography factors
Pentax K-1 Portrait photography factors
48
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no liveview
sensor resolution low (8MP)
85
has manual focus
great MP (36 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
provides face detect focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography info
Pentax K-1 Street photography info
56
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lighter than others (479g)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
70
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
very good ISO range (204,800)
heavier than others in class (1,010g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography features
Pentax K-1 Sports photography features
37
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
no liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great MP (36 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
provides tracking focus
environment sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.4 frames per second)
low battery life (760 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-1 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than others (479g)
flash built-in
missing Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
53
environment sealing
great MP (36 megapixels)
low battery life (760 shots)
heavier than others in class (1,010 grams)
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-500
Landscape photography with Pentax K-1
43
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.5 inches)
no liveview
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
maximum ISO low (400)
missing Timelapse function
81
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great MP (36MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
does not have low pass filter
very good ISO range (204,800)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
has double storage slots
low battery life (760 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-500
Vlogging with Pentax K-1
9
no video shooting
31
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with mic port
does not contain selfie friendly display
heavier than others in class (1,010g)
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Pentax K-1
 Olympus E-500Pentax K-1
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-500 Pentax K-1
Also referred to as EVOLT E-500 -
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2005-10-21 2016-02-17
Body design Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 36 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 3264 x 2448 7360 x 4912
Maximum native ISO 400 204800
Maximum enhanced ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 33
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Total lenses 45 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 2.5" 3.2"
Resolution of display 215 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per sec 4.4 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 secs 1/200 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 grams (1.06 lbs) 1010 grams (2.23 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 137 x 110 x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 96
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.6
DXO Low light score not tested 3280
Other
Battery life - 760 images
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Storage slots Single Two
Retail cost $600 $1,499