Olympus E-510 vs Pentax P70

The following is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-510 versus Pentax P70, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the E-510 (10MP) and the P70 (12MP) is pretty similar but the E-510 (Four Thirds) and P70 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-510 was manufactured 15 months earlier than the P70 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax P70 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-510 grades vs the P70 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-510 & Pentax Optio P70. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Pentax P70 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-510 has got outer measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) while the Pentax P70 has measurements of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

See the Olympus E-510 versus Pentax P70 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-510 compared to the P70.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-510 and P70 is 69 and 95 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading technical specs. The pic below should offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-510 and P70.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-510 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Pentax P70 will deliver more detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged E-510 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.