Olympus E-500 vs Pentax Q7

In this write-up, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-500 and Pentax Q7, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and Q7 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and Q7 (1/1.7") come with different sensor sizes.

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The E-500 was brought out 8 years prior to the Q7 and that is quite a large 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 Q7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-500 grades against the Q7 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 & Pentax Q7. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Pentax Q7 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 enjoys outer dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Pentax Q7 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-500 and Pentax Q7 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with during that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the E-500 versus the Q7.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and Q7 is 70 and 92 respectively.

More often than not, it is difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements only by looking at specs. The visual underneath will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and Q7.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-500 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Pentax Q7 will give you greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.