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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax P80

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Pentax Optio P80 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
23
Overall
30

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax P80 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Expand to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Released October 2005
  • Additionally Known as EVOLT E-500
  • Later Model is Olympus E-510
Pentax P80
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F2.6-5.8) lens
  • 125g - 102 x 59 x 25mm
  • Introduced August 2009
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax P80 Overview

The following is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus E-500 and Pentax P80, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and P80 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and P80 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

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The E-500 was brought out 4 years prior to the P80 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax P80 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a complete comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-500 matches up against the P80 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Pentax P80

 E-500 P80 

Reasons to pick Pentax P80 over the Olympus E-500

 P80 E-500 
IntroducedAugust 2009October 2005Newer by 46 months
Screen size2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution230k215kClearer screen (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Pentax P80

 E-500 P80 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither includes Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax P80 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera, you're going to have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 features outside 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 P80 has dimensions of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 and Pentax P80 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at that moment. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-500 compared to the P80.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax P80 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and P80 is 70 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax P80 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax P80 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very tough to picture the difference between sensor dimensions only by going over a spec sheet. The image below will offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and P80.

Clearly, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 because of its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Pentax P80 will offer greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax P80 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax P80 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax P80 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax P80 Portrait photography highlights
48
you can focus manually
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
MP count low (8 megapixels)
27
focusing manually
manual mode not available
no external flash support
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography information
Pentax P80 Street photography information
56
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than others (479g)
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
55
lighter than competition (125g)
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography highlights
Pentax P80 Sports photography highlights
37
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
max fps low (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
17
low max shutter speed (1/1,000s)
low fps (3.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-500
Travel photography with Pentax P80
52
lighter than others (479g)
flash built-in
no Time Lapse mode
MP count low (8MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
62
lighter than competition (125g)
built-in flash
decently wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
resolution not great (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography information
Pentax P80 Landscape photography information
43
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
doesn't have liveview
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
low max ISO (400)
no Time Lapse mode
32
focusing manually
decently wide (28mm)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
screen is small (2.7")
manual mode not available
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging features
Pentax P80 Vlogging features
9
can't shoot video
28
decently wide (28mm)
lighter than competition (125g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone socket
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax P80 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Pentax P80
 Olympus E-500Pentax Optio P80
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-500 Pentax Optio P80
Also referred to as EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Released 2005-10-21 2009-08-05
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - Prime
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3264 x 2448 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 400 6400
Highest boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 64
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.6-5.8
Macro focusing range - 10cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.5 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 215k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.60 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye -
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479 gr (1.06 lb) 125 gr (0.28 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 102 x 59 x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery ID - D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots One One
Retail price $600 $200