Olympus E-500 vs Pentax MX-1
70 Imaging
41 Features
34 Overall
38


84 Imaging
37 Features
60 Overall
46
Olympus E-500 vs Pentax MX-1 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 400 (Boost to 1600)
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
- Revealed October 2005
- Also Known as EVOLT E-500
- Successor is Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 12800
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
- 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
- Announced July 2013

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax MX-1 Overview
Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-500 and Pentax MX-1, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a significant difference among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and MX-1 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and MX-1 (1/1.7") offer totally different sensor sizes.

The E-500 was brought out 8 years prior to the MX-1 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax MX-1 being a Compact camera.
Before diving straight to a full comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-500 grades versus the MX-1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax MX-1 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 and Pentax MX-1. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Pentax MX-1 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Pentax MX-1
E-500 | MX-1 |
---|
Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Olympus E-500
MX-1 | E-500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | July 2013 | ![]() | October 2005 | Fresher by 93 months |
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display size | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") |
Display resolution | 920k | ![]() | 215k | Crisper display (+705k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Pentax MX-1
E-500 | MX-1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very precise focusing | ||
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither comes with selfie screen | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Neither comes with Touch display |
Olympus E-500 vs Pentax MX-1 Physical Comparison
If you're intending to carry your camera, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 comes with outside measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Pentax MX-1 has dimensions of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") along with a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-500 and Pentax MX-1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-500 vs the MX-1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and MX-1 is 70 and 84 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax MX-1 Sensor Comparison
Often, it is very tough to envision the difference in sensor sizing merely by seeing technical specs. The visual here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and MX-1.
As you can tell, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-500 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Pentax MX-1 will provide greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax MX-1 Specifications
Olympus E-500 | Pentax MX-1 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Pentax |
Model type | Olympus E-500 | Pentax MX-1 |
Alternate name | EVOLT E-500 | - |
Type | Advanced DSLR | Small Sensor Compact |
Revealed | 2005-10-21 | 2013-07-01 |
Body design | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/1.7" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 7.44 x 5.58mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 41.5mm² |
Sensor resolution | 8 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 4000 x 3000 |
Maximum native ISO | 400 | 12800 |
Maximum enhanced ISO | 1600 | - |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 28-112mm (4.0x) |
Max aperture | - | f/1.8-2.5 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 1cm |
Available lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 4.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 2.5" | 3" |
Display resolution | 215 thousand dot | 920 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Display tech | - | TFT LCD with AR coating |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.45x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/8000s |
Continuous shutter speed | 3.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) | 12.00 m |
Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/180s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 479 grams (1.06 pounds) | 391 grams (0.86 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") | 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | 49 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 20.4 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 11.3 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 208 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 290 photographs |
Battery format | - | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | D-Li-106 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage media | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Retail cost | $600 | $400 |