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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K100D S

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Pentax K100D Super front
Portability
65
Imaging
45
Features
38
Overall
42

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K100D S 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
  • Also referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • Renewed by Olympus E-510
Pentax K100D S
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 646g - 129 x 91 x 71mm
  • Revealed June 2007
  • Replaced the Pentax K100D
  • Updated by Pentax K200D
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K100D S Overview

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K100D S, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and K100D S (6MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and K100D S (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

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The E-500 was launched 20 months before the K100D S making them a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax K100D S being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-500 scores vs the K100D S in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Pentax K100D S

 E-500 K100D S 
Display resolution215k210kSharper display (+5k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax K100D S over the Olympus E-500

 K100D S E-500 
RevealedJune 2007October 2005Newer by 20 months

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K100D S

 E-500 K100D S 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size2.5"2.5"Same display size
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K100D S Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 has got 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) whilst the Pentax K100D S has sizing of 129mm x 91mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.8") having a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K100D S in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-500 against the K100D S.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K100D S size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and K100D S is 70 and 65 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K100D S top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K100D S Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's difficult to see the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading a spec sheet. The picture here should give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and K100D S.

As you can see, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 due to its tinier sensor will make getting bokeh trickier and the Olympus E-500 will offer you more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics way more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K100D S sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K100D S Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K100D S Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography information
Pentax K100D S Portrait photography information
48
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
does not have liveview
resolution not great (8MP)
51
you can focus manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
doesn't have liveview
megapixel count low (6MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K100D S as a Street photography camera
56
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
lighter than average (479g)
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
max ISO too low (400)
64
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K100D S as a Sports photography camera
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
does not have liveview
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (8MP)
47
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
doesn't have liveview
low frames per second (3.0 fps)
megapixel count low (6 megapixels)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K100D S Travel photography highlights
52
lighter than average (479 grams)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
45
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (6 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K100D S as a Landscape photography camera
43
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
does not have liveview
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
max ISO too low (400)
does not have Timelapse recording
52
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
doesn't have liveview
megapixel count low (6 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging highlights
Pentax K100D S Vlogging highlights
9
no video recording
9
no video recording
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K100D S Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Pentax K100D S
 Olympus E-500Pentax K100D Super
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-500 Pentax K100D Super
Also Known as EVOLT E-500 -
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2005-10-21 2007-06-28
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 6MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Full resolution 3264 x 2448 3008 x 2008
Max native ISO 400 3200
Max boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 45 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.5 inches 2.5 inches
Resolution of display 215 thousand dot 210 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 96%
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.57x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Max video resolution None None
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479g (1.06 lbs) 646g (1.42 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 129 x 91 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC card
Storage slots One One
Retail price $600 $520