Olympus E-600 vs Pentax K-500

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-600 and Pentax K-500, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a large difference among the resolutions of the E-600 (12MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the E-600 (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) possess different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-600 was introduced 5 years prior to the K-500 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-600 matches up against the K-500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-600 & Pentax K-500. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-600 Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry around your camera, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-600 enjoys physical dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") with a weight of 515 grams (1.14 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-500 has measurements of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-600 and Pentax K-500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using during that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-600 versus the K-500.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-600 and K-500 is 71 and 64 respectively.

Often, it can be tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizes purely by seeing a spec sheet. The image underneath might give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-600 and K-500.

As you can see, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-600 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more difficult and the Pentax K-500 will produce greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-600 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.