Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax K-500

On this page, we will be comparing the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax K-500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) have different sensor size.

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The E-P3 was unveiled 3 years earlier than the K-500 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-P3 scores vs the K-500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P3 and Pentax K-500. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery and Pentax K-500 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 provides outside dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") and a weight of 369 grams (0.81 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).

Check the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax K-500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-P3 compared to the K-500.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and K-500 is 86 and 64 respectively.

Often, its difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by seeing a spec sheet. The visual below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and K-500.

Clearly, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-P3 using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Pentax K-500 will show greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-P3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.