Olympus E-500 vs Pentax E90

In this write-up, we are contrasting the Olympus E-500 versus Pentax E90, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the E-500 (8MP) and the E90 (10MP) is fairly similar but the E-500 (Four Thirds) and E90 (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

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The E-500 was unveiled 5 years earlier than the E90 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax E90 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-500 grades against the E90 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-500 and Pentax Optio E90. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Pentax E90 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry around your camera, you need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 provides external measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Pentax E90 has sizing of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-500 versus Pentax E90 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the E-500 versus the E90.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and E90 is 70 and 94 respectively.

Often, it is very hard to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes only by going over a spec sheet. The image below might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and E90.

Clearly, the 2 cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-500 using its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Pentax E90 will deliver extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a little more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.