Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-3

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K-3, both Advanced DSLR cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and K-3 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizes.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The E-500 was introduced 9 years prior to the K-3 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before we go straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-500 matches up versus the K-3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 and Pentax K-3. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Pentax K-3 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 has outside dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-3 has proportions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K-3 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-500 against the K-3.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and K-3 is 70 and 59 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to imagine the difference in sensor measurements merely by checking out specs. The photograph here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and K-3.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-500 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh more challenging and the Pentax K-3 will show extra detail using its extra 16MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a little more aggressively. The older E-500 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.