Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2
70 Imaging
41 Features
34 Overall
38


91 Imaging
39 Features
37 Overall
38
Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 400 (Bump to 1600)
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
- Launched October 2005
- Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
- Renewed by Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 125 - 6400
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
- 192g - 122 x 61 x 30mm
- Launched February 2012

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 Overview
Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-500 versus Pentax WG-2, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Waterproof by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and WG-2 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and WG-2 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor size.

The E-500 was announced 7 years earlier than the WG-2 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax WG-2 being a Compact camera.
Before delving straight into a complete comparison, below is a concise summation of how the E-500 matches up vs the WG-2 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 and Pentax Optio WG-2. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Pentax WG-2 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Pentax WG-2
E-500 | WG-2 |
---|
Reasons to pick Pentax WG-2 over the Olympus E-500
WG-2 | E-500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | February 2012 | ![]() | October 2005 | Fresher by 76 months |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") |
Screen resolution | 460k | ![]() | 215k | Clearer screen (+245k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Pentax WG-2
E-500 | WG-2 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial precise focus | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Missing selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Missing Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 has external 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 WG-2 has dimensions of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-500 versus Pentax WG-2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose during that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-500 vs the WG-2.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and WG-2 is 70 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it is hard to picture the contrast in sensor sizing merely by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic here should give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and WG-2.
As you can see, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-500 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Pentax WG-2 will provide extra detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 Specifications
Olympus E-500 | Pentax Optio WG-2 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Pentax |
Model | Olympus E-500 | Pentax Optio WG-2 |
Also Known as | EVOLT E-500 | - |
Category | Advanced DSLR | Waterproof |
Launched | 2005-10-21 | 2012-02-07 |
Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Sensor type | CCD | BSI-CMOS |
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 | 16 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 4288 x 3216 |
Highest native ISO | 400 | 6400 |
Highest boosted ISO | 1600 | - |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 125 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 28-140mm (5.0x) |
Highest aperture | - | f/3.5-5.5 |
Macro focus range | - | 1cm |
Total lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 2.5" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 215 thousand dots | 460 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Screen tech | - | Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.45x | - |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 4 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shooting rate | 3.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) | 5.40 m |
Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/180 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) |
Highest video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Microphone 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 | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 479g (1.06 pounds) | 192g (0.42 pounds) |
Dimensions | 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") | 122 x 61 x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") |
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 life | - | 260 photos |
Form of battery | - | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | D-LI92 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch pricing | $600 | $350 |