Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5
70 Imaging
41 Features
34 Overall
38
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60 Imaging
56 Features
82 Overall
66
Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 400 (Bump to 1600)
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
- Revealed October 2005
- Alternate Name is EVOLT E-500
- Later Model is Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 12800 (Increase to 51200)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Pentax KAF2 Mount
- 740g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
- Launched December 2010
- Succeeded the Pentax K-7
- Replacement is Pentax K-5 IIs
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 Overview
Here is a in depth review of the Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5, both Advanced DSLR cameras by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and K-5 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and K-5 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizes.
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The E-500 was unveiled 6 years earlier than the K-5 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).
Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-500 scores versus the K-5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 & Pentax K-5. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Pentax K-5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Pentax K-5
E-500 | K-5 |
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Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 over the Olympus E-500
K-5 | E-500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | December 2010 | ![]() | October 2005 | Fresher by 62 months |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") |
Screen resolution | 921k | ![]() | 215k | Sharper screen (+706k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K-5
E-500 | K-5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very precise focus | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither includes selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither includes Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 Physical Comparison
If you are intending to carry your camera, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 features 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) while the Pentax K-5 has dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-500 versus the K-5.
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Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and K-5 is 70 and 60 respectively.
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it is very hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizing purely by going through specs. The photograph here may offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and K-5.
As you can plainly see, both cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-500 using its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-5 will provide more detail having an extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-500 will be behind in sensor innovation.
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 Specifications
Olympus E-500 | Pentax K-5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Pentax |
Model | Olympus E-500 | Pentax K-5 |
Also called | EVOLT E-500 | - |
Type | Advanced DSLR | Advanced DSLR |
Revealed | 2005-10-21 | 2010-12-18 |
Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Mid-size SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | - | Prime II |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.7 x 15.7mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 372.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 8MP | 16MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 |
Highest resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 4928 x 3264 |
Highest native ISO | 400 | 12800 |
Highest boosted ISO | 1600 | 51200 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | 11 |
Cross focus points | - | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Pentax KAF2 |
Amount of lenses | 45 | 151 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 2.5 inches | 3 inches |
Screen resolution | 215 thousand dots | 921 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Screen technology | - | TFT LCD monitor |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | Optical (pentaprism) |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.45x | 0.61x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/8000s |
Continuous shooting rate | 3.0fps | 7.0fps |
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) | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/180s | 1/180s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 424 (25, 30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | Motion JPEG |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | Optional |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 479 grams (1.06 lb) | 740 grams (1.63 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") | 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | not tested | 82 |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 23.7 |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 14.1 |
DXO Low light score | not tested | 1162 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 980 photographs |
Battery style | - | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | D-LI90 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Price at launch | $600 | $800 |