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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax ist DL2

Portability
70
Imaging
42
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Pentax ist DL2 front
Portability
69
Imaging
45
Features
33
Overall
40

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax ist DL2 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Push to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
  • New Model is Olympus E-510
Pentax ist DL2
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • Pentax KAF Mount
  • 565g - 125 x 93 x 66mm
  • Revealed January 2006
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax ist DL2 Overview

Following is a extensive review of the Olympus E-500 and Pentax ist DL2, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and ist DL2 (6MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and ist DL2 (APS-C) use different sensor measurements.

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The E-500 was launched 3 months earlier than the ist DL2 which means that they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before going through a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-500 matches up versus the ist DL2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Pentax ist DL2

 E-500 ist DL2 
Screen resolution215k210kSharper screen (+5k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax ist DL2 over the Olympus E-500

 ist DL2 E-500 

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Pentax ist DL2

 E-500 ist DL2 
RevealedOctober 2005January 2006Similar age
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension2.5"2.5"Identical screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax ist DL2 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 comes with outer dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Pentax ist DL2 has dimensions of 125mm x 93mm x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 565 grams (1.25 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 and Pentax ist DL2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-500 against the ist DL2.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax ist DL2 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and ist DL2 is 70 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax ist DL2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax ist DL2 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's tough to picture the difference between sensor sizes merely by reading specs. The pic here should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and ist DL2.

As you can plainly see, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-500 due to its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Olympus E-500 will offer greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively.

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax ist DL2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax ist DL2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Pentax ist DL2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
Portrait photography with Pentax ist DL2
49
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
doesn't have liveview
low MP (8MP)
51
you can focus manually
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview
sensor resolution low (6 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography information
Pentax ist DL2 Street photography information
57
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lighter than competition in class (479 grams)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
60
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lighter than competition in class (565 grams)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography information
Pentax ist DL2 Sports photography information
37
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
max fps low (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
low MP (8MP)
39
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
no liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (6 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography advice
Pentax ist DL2 Travel photography advice
52
lighter than competition in class (479g)
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
low MP (8 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
52
lighter than competition in class (565g)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (6 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax ist DL2 as a Landscape photography camera
43
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen is small (2.5")
doesn't have liveview
does not have image stabilization
low MP (8MP)
low maximum ISO (400)
no Timelapse recording
47
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF mount)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
no liveview
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (6 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging details
Pentax ist DL2 Vlogging details
9
can't record video
22
lighter than competition in class (565g)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
low video resolution ( resolution)
doesn't have microphone socket
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Olympus E-500 vs Pentax ist DL2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Pentax ist DL2
 Olympus E-500Pentax ist DL2
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-500 Pentax ist DL2
Also Known as EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2005-10-21 2006-01-27
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 6MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Maximum resolution 3264 x 2448 3008 x 2008
Maximum native ISO 400 3200
Maximum boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 3 5
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF
Total lenses 45 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.5 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of screen 215k dots 210k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.57x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Maximum video resolution None -
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None No
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 gr (1.06 lb) 565 gr (1.25 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 125 x 93 x 66mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 65
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.1
DXO Low light score not tested 639
Other
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/MMC card
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $600 -