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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Boost to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Other Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Replacement is Olympus E-510
Pentax WG-2 GPS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 198g - 122 x 61 x 30mm
  • Introduced February 2012
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Overview

Here is a in depth analysis of the Olympus E-500 and Pentax WG-2 GPS, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Waterproof by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and WG-2 GPS (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and WG-2 GPS (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-500 was launched 7 years before the WG-2 GPS and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax WG-2 GPS being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a complete comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-500 scores versus the WG-2 GPS when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Pentax WG-2 GPS

 E-500 WG-2 GPS 

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-2 GPS over the Olympus E-500

 WG-2 GPS E-500 
IntroducedFebruary 2012October 2005Fresher by 76 months
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k215kClearer screen (+245k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Pentax WG-2 GPS

 E-500 WG-2 GPS 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 has physical dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Pentax WG-2 GPS has specifications of 122mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") having a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-500 and Pentax WG-2 GPS in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-500 against the WG-2 GPS.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and WG-2 GPS is 70 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is tough to see the difference between sensor sizing purely by going over specs. The visual below will offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and WG-2 GPS.

As you can plainly see, both cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-500 featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Pentax WG-2 GPS will offer you more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS sensor size comparison

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

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax WG-2 GPS as a Portrait photography camera
48
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
megapixel count low (8MP)
40
focusing manually
MP count good (16MP)
has face detection autofocus
no manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Street photography camera
Pentax WG-2 GPS as a Street photography camera
56
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (479g)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
54
weather proof
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-500
Sports photography with Pentax WG-2 GPS
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
low frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (8 megapixels)
38
MP count good (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
low frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography features
Pentax WG-2 GPS Travel photography features
52
lighter than competition in class (479g)
has built in flash
no Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (8MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
70
weather proof
MP count good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography details
Pentax WG-2 GPS Landscape photography details
43
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (8 megapixels)
low max ISO (400)
no Timelapse recording
47
focusing manually
fairly wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3")
MP count good (16MP)
weather proof
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual mode
does not have image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax WG-2 GPS as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
30
fairly wide (28mm)
has face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
lack of external microphone support
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WG-2 GPS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Pentax WG-2 GPS
 Olympus E-500Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-500 Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS
Also called EVOLT E-500 -
Type Advanced DSLR Waterproof
Introduced 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 surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3264 x 2448 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 400 6400
Maximum boosted ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 215k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.40 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum 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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479 gr (1.06 pounds) 198 gr (0.44 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 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 life - 260 pictures
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $600 $300