Olympus FE-5020 vs Pentax K-500

The following is a in-depth assessment of the Olympus FE-5020 vs Pentax K-500, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the FE-5020 (12MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the FE-5020 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The FE-5020 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the K-500 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-5020 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the FE-5020 scores versus the K-500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus FE-5020 & Pentax K-500. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus FE-5020 Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.

If you are planning to travel with your camera, you're going to have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus FE-5020 comes with external measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") with a weight of 137 grams (0.30 lbs) and the Pentax K-500 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Compare the Olympus FE-5020 vs Pentax K-500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the FE-5020 vs the K-500.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the FE-5020 and K-500 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Generally, it is difficult to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions just by seeing a spec sheet. The picture underneath may offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the FE-5020 and K-500.

Clearly, each of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The FE-5020 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-500 will show greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged FE-5020 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.