Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80

Here is a in-depth assessment of the Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Waterproof by companies Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-500 (8MP) and the WS80 (10MP) is pretty close but the E-500 (Four Thirds) and WS80 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-500 was brought out 4 years prior to the WS80 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax WS80 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-500 scores vs the WS80 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 and Pentax Optio WS80. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Pentax WS80 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 offers physical dimensions 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 WS80 has dimensions of 92mm x 60mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

See the Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at that time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-500 versus the WS80.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and WS80 is 70 and 95 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizing simply by looking through a spec sheet. The visual here might give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and WS80.

As you can see, both of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-500 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Pentax WS80 will provide you with more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.