Olympus E-500 vs Pentax RZ18
70 Imaging
41 Features
34 Overall
38
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92 Imaging
39 Features
37 Overall
38
Olympus E-500 vs Pentax RZ18 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 400 (Push to 1600)
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
- Announced October 2005
- Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
- Replacement is Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-450mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
- 178g - 97 x 61 x 33mm
- Introduced September 2011
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax RZ18 Overview
In this write-up, we will be matching up the Olympus E-500 versus Pentax RZ18, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and RZ18 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and RZ18 (1/2.3") use different sensor measurements.
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The E-500 was launched 6 years earlier than the RZ18 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax RZ18 being a Compact camera.
Before delving through a in depth comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-500 grades versus the RZ18 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax RZ18 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 & Pentax Optio RZ18. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Pentax RZ18 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Pentax RZ18
E-500 | RZ18 |
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Reasons to pick Pentax RZ18 over the Olympus E-500
RZ18 | E-500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | September 2011 | ![]() | October 2005 | More recent by 71 months |
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") |
Screen resolution | 460k | ![]() | 215k | Sharper screen (+245k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Pentax RZ18
E-500 | RZ18 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Dial precise focusing | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither features selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Lacking Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-500 vs Pentax RZ18 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 enjoys exterior dimensions 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 RZ18 has sizing of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).
Examine the Olympus E-500 versus Pentax RZ18 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-500 against the RZ18.
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Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and RZ18 is 70 and 92 respectively.
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax RZ18 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it can be tough to visualize the difference between sensor measurements simply by reading through a spec sheet. The photograph here might give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and RZ18.
As you can see, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-500 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Pentax RZ18 will give more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind in sensor technology.
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax RZ18 Specifications
Olympus E-500 | Pentax Optio RZ18 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Pentax |
Model | Olympus E-500 | Pentax Optio RZ18 |
Also called | EVOLT E-500 | - |
Category | Advanced DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Announced | 2005-10-21 | 2011-09-12 |
Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 8 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 4608 x 3456 |
Max native ISO | 400 | 6400 |
Max boosted ISO | 1600 | - |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 25-450mm (18.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.5-5.9 |
Macro focus distance | - | 4cm |
Number of lenses | 45 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display size | 2.5 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 215 thousand dots | 460 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Display technology | - | TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.45x | - |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60s | 4s |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shooting rate | 3.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) | 2.80 m |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/180s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) |
Max video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
Video file format | - | Motion JPEG |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
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 | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 479 grams (1.06 pounds) | 178 grams (0.39 pounds) |
Dimensions | 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") | 97 x 61 x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light score | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery model | - | D-LI92 |
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/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Price at launch | $600 | $210 |