Olympus E-510 vs Pentax E85

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-510 vs Pentax E85, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-510 (10MP) and the E85 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the E-510 (Four Thirds) and E85 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizes.

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The E-510 was announced 22 months before the E85 making them a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax E85 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-510 grades against the E85 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-510 & Pentax Optio E85. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Pentax E85 Gallery.

In case you're going to travel with your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-510 features outside measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) while the Pentax E85 has dimensions of 93mm x 58mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9") with a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-510 vs Pentax E85 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the E-510 versus the E85.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-510 and E85 is 69 and 95 respectively.

Typically, it can be tough to picture the gap between sensor dimensions merely by looking at technical specs. The pic below should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-510 and E85.

As you have seen, each of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-510 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Pentax E85 will give you extra detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-510 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.