Olympus E-500 vs Pentax E70

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-500 versus Pentax E70, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-500 (8MP) and the E70 (10MP) is pretty well matched but the E-500 (Four Thirds) and E70 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-500 was manufactured 4 years prior to the E70 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax E70 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-500 grades vs the E70 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 & Pentax Optio E70. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Pentax E70 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 enjoys outer 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 E70 has proportions of 94mm x 61mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.0") along with a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-500 versus Pentax E70 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the E-500 vs the E70.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and E70 is 70 and 94 respectively.

More often than not, its tough to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements purely by checking a spec sheet. The photograph here will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and E70.

Clearly, each of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-500 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Pentax E70 will give you extra detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.