Olympus E-500 vs Pentax K20D

In this write-up, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K20D, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and K20D (15MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and K20D (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The E-500 was unveiled 3 years prior to the K20D which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-500 matches up versus the K20D when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 & Pentax K20D. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Pentax K20D Gallery.

When you are intending to carry around your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 enjoys outer measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Pentax K20D has specifications of 142mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K20D in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-500 against the K20D.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and K20D is 70 and 59 respectively.

Sometimes, it is tough to picture the gap between sensor sizes simply by checking a spec sheet. The pic underneath will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and K20D.

Clearly, both the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-500 having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Pentax K20D will give greater detail having an extra 7 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots far more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.