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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Pentax K-5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(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
Pentax K-5
(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
Photography Glossary

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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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Pentax K-5

 E-500 K-5 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 over the Olympus E-500

 K-5 E-500 
LaunchedDecember 2010October 2005Fresher by 62 months
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution921k215kSharper screen (+706k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K-5

 E-500 K-5 
Manually focus Very precise focus
Screen typeFixed 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and K-5 is 70 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 top view buttons comparison

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.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
Portrait photography with Pentax K-5
48
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
sensor resolution low (8MP)
73
focusing manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-5 as a Street photography camera
56
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (479 grams)
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
environment proof
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography details
Pentax K-5 Sports photography details
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
78
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proof
sensor has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography features
Pentax K-5 Travel photography features
52
lighter than competitors in class (479g)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
65
environment proof
decent MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-5 as a Landscape photography camera
43
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
no liveview feature
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
lack of Timelapse mode
78
focusing manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
environment proof
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging details
Pentax K-5 Vlogging details
9
no video shooting
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external mic support
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Pentax K-5
 Olympus E-500Pentax 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