Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-500

Here, we are looking at the Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-500, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) boast different sensor sizes.

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The E-P1 was announced 5 years prior to the K-500 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-P1 scores vs the K-500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P1 & Pentax K-500. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P1 Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera often, you will need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P1 has exterior measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Pentax K-500 has measurements of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-P1 vs Pentax K-500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-P1 against the K-500.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and K-500 is 86 and 64 respectively.

Normally, its tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizing only by viewing specs. The visual below may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P1 and K-500.

All in all, the 2 cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-P1 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-500 will result in more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively. The older E-P1 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.