Olympus E-510 vs Pentax K-S2

On this page, we will be looking at the Olympus E-510 vs Pentax K-S2, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and K-S2 (20MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and K-S2 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-510 was manufactured 8 years prior to the K-S2 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-510 grades versus the K-S2 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-510 & Pentax K-S2. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Pentax K-S2 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-510 features outside dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-S2 has proportions of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") with a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-510 vs Pentax K-S2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-510 compared to the K-S2.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-510 and K-S2 is 69 and 64 respectively.

Often, its difficult to picture the contrast between sensor measurements merely by reading through specifications. The visual here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-510 and K-S2.

Plainly, both of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-510 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-S2 will resolve more detail due to its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-510 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.