Olympus E-500 vs Pentax RS1500

Here is a extended comparison of the Olympus E-500 versus Pentax RS1500, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and RS1500 (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and RS1500 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was unveiled 6 years earlier than the RS1500 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a detailed comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-500 matches up against the RS1500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 & Pentax Optio RS1500. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Pentax RS1500 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 has got outer 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) whilst the Pentax RS1500 has dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-500 versus Pentax RS1500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-500 vs the RS1500.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and RS1500 is 70 and 93 respectively.

Normally, it can be hard to see the difference in sensor sizing only by looking through a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and RS1500.

As you can see, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-500 with its bigger sensor will make getting bokeh easier and the Pentax RS1500 will provide you with extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-500 will be behind in sensor tech.