Olympus FE-45 vs Pentax K-500

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus FE-45 vs Pentax K-500, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the FE-45 (10MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the FE-45 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) posses different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The FE-45 was launched 5 years earlier than the K-500 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus FE-45 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple summation of how the FE-45 scores versus the K-500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus FE-45 & Pentax K-500. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus FE-45 Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus FE-45 comes with outside measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") and a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Pentax K-500 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Compare the Olympus FE-45 vs Pentax K-500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the FE-45 versus the K-500.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the FE-45 and K-500 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Generally, its tough to picture the difference in sensor dimensions merely by going through a spec sheet. The image below will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the FE-45 and K-500.

Clearly, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The FE-45 due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh harder and the Pentax K-500 will provide greater detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The more aged FE-45 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.