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Olympus E-M10 II vs Pentax K-500

Portability
82
Imaging
54
Features
77
Overall
63
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus E-M10 II vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 390g - 120 x 83 x 47mm
  • Introduced August 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M10
  • New Model is Olympus E-M10 III
Pentax K-500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Released November 2013
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Olympus E-M10 II vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Here is a detailed review of the Olympus E-M10 II versus Pentax K-500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the E-M10 II (16MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is relatively well matched but the E-M10 II (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M10 II was announced 22 months later than the K-500 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M10 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a concise summation of how the E-M10 II grades against the K-500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 II over the Pentax K-500

 E-M10 II K-500 
ReleasedAugust 2015November 2013Fresher by 22 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1040k921kCrisper screen (+119k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus E-M10 II

 K-500 E-M10 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 II and Pentax K-500

 E-M10 II K-500 
Focus manually Very precise focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-M10 II vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M10 II comes with external dimensions of 120mm x 83mm x 47mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 1.9") with a weight of 390 grams (0.86 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-500 has dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M10 II versus Pentax K-500 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M10 II versus the K-500.

Olympus E-M10 II vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M10 II and K-500 is 82 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 II vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 II vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing only by looking at technical specs. The graphic underneath will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M10 II and K-500.

As you have seen, both of these cameras posses the exact same megapixel count albeit different sensor sizing. The E-M10 II includes the tinier sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow depth of field harder. The more recent E-M10 II provides a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M10 II vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 II vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 II vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 II Portrait photography highlights
Pentax K-500 Portrait photography highlights
72
you can focus manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
74
focusing manually
good resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 II as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Street photography camera
83
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
comes with touch to focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
above average ISO range (51,600)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M10 II
Sports photography with Pentax K-500
67
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
has no phase detect AF
72
great max shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
great battery power (710 per charge)
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (6.0 frames/s)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 II Travel photography information
Pentax K-500 Travel photography information
73
comes with touch to focus
MP count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
screen is not selfie friendly
67
great battery power (710 shots)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 II as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Landscape photography camera
79
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
79
focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
above average ISO range (51,600)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (710 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M10 II
Vlogging with Pentax K-500
35
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of microphone port
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic socket
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Olympus E-M10 II vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 II and Pentax K-500
 Olympus OM-D E-M10 IIPentax K-500
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M10 II Pentax K-500
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2015-08-25 2013-11-27
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII PRIME M
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 25600 51600
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 81 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,040k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/6000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 5.80 m (ISO 100) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, flash off, 1st-curtain slow sync w/redeye, 1st-curtain slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p/30p/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 390g (0.86 pounds) 646g (1.42 pounds)
Dimensions 120 x 83 x 47mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 1.9") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 79
DXO Color Depth rating 23.1 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.5 13.1
DXO Low light rating 842 1087
Other
Battery life 320 shots 710 shots
Battery type Battery Pack AA
Battery ID BLS-50 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (12 sec., 2 sec, custom) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $499 $600