Clicky

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Pentax Optio WS80 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
20
Overall
27

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Released October 2005
  • Also referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • Successor is Olympus E-510
Pentax WS80
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-175mm (F3.8-4.7) lens
  • 125g - 92 x 60 x 22mm
  • Released August 2009
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80 Overview

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.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

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.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Pentax WS80

 E-500 WS80 

Reasons to pick Pentax WS80 over the Olympus E-500

 WS80 E-500 
ReleasedAugust 2009October 2005Fresher by 46 months
Screen size2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution230k215kSharper screen (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Pentax WS80

 E-500 WS80 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80 size comparison

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

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax WS80 Portrait photography highlights
48
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
does not have liveview
resolution not great (8MP)
26
focusing manually
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
low resolution sensor (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography features
Pentax WS80 Street photography features
56
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than average in class (479 grams)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
59
environment proof
lighter than competitors (125g)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-500
Sports photography with Pentax WS80
37
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect AF
does not have liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
23
environment proof
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography info
Pentax WS80 Travel photography info
52
lighter than average in class (479 grams)
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
resolution not great (8MP)
does not contain selfie friendly display
61
lighter than competitors (125 grams)
environment proof
flash built-in
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.8)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography features
Pentax WS80 Landscape photography features
43
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is small (2.5")
does not have liveview
no image stabilization
resolution not great (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
does not have Time Lapse recording
31
focusing manually
environment proof
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.8)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
manual mode not available
lack of image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging information
Pentax WS80 Vlogging information
9
no video
25
lighter than competitors (125g)
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic jack
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax WS80 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Pentax WS80
 Olympus E-500Pentax Optio WS80
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-500 Pentax Optio WS80
Alternative name EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Waterproof
Released 2005-10-21 2009-08-05
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Prime
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3264 x 2448 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 400 6400
Highest enhanced ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 64
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-175mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.8-4.7
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 215k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1500 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.40 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479g (1.06 lb) 125g (0.28 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 92 x 60 x 22mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch cost $600 $220