Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax K-500

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 III and Pentax K-500, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 III was announced 5 years later than the K-500 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a thorough comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-M5 III grades vs the K-500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 III and Pentax K-500. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 III Gallery and Pentax K-500 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry your camera often, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 III has physical measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") having a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-500 has dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M5 III and Pentax K-500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-M5 III against the K-500.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 III and K-500 is 80 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to envision the gap in sensor sizing only by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will help provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 III and K-500.

Clearly, the two cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 III using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Olympus E-M5 III will result in more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will let you crop images far more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 III will have a benefit in sensor tech.