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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Pentax Q front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
47
Overall
39

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Expand to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Later Model is Olympus E-510
Pentax Q
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • 180g - 98 x 57 x 31mm
  • Introduced June 2011
  • Successor is Pentax Q10
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and Q (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and Q (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

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The E-500 was announced 6 years earlier than the Q and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax Q being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-500 grades versus the Q when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Pentax Q

 E-500 Q 

Reasons to pick Pentax Q over the Olympus E-500

 Q E-500 
IntroducedJune 2011October 2005More recent by 69 months
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k215kSharper screen (+245k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Pentax Q

 E-500 Q 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 provides exterior dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Pentax Q has proportions of 98mm x 57mm x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") having a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs).

See the Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the E-500 and the Q.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and Q is 70 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements simply by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic below might offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and Q.

Clearly, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-500 using its bigger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh easier and the Pentax Q will produce extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older E-500 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography info
Pentax Q Portrait photography info
48
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
MP count low (8 megapixels)
45
has manual focus
flash sync speed is above average (1/2,000s)
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography factors
Pentax Q Street photography factors
56
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
lighter than competition in class (479g)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
max ISO too low (400)
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
exports RAW formats
lighter than average in class (180g)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax Q as a Sports photography camera
37
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
31
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (230 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography factors
Pentax Q Travel photography factors
52
lighter than competition in class (479 grams)
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse function
MP count low (8 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
57
lighter than average in class (180g)
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse function
not so great battery power (230 CIPA)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-500
Landscape photography with Pentax Q
43
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
tiny screen (2.5")
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
max ISO too low (400)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
51
has manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax Q mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (230 per charge)
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging highlights
Pentax Q Vlogging highlights
9
no video recording
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than average in class (180g)
display is not selfie friendly
missing mic support
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Pentax Q
 Olympus E-500Pentax Q
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-500 Pentax Q
Also called EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2005-10-21 2011-06-23
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3264 x 2448 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 400 6400
Maximum boosted ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax Q
Available lenses 45 8
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 215 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.60 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Trailing-curtain sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720p (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479 grams (1.06 pounds) 180 grams (0.40 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 98 x 57 x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 47
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.2
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 189
Other
Battery life - 230 pictures
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $600 $695