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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Launched May 2010
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL1s
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
  • Launched November 2013
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Here is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1 was announced 4 years before the K-500 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-PL1 grades against the K-500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Pentax K-500

 E-PL1 K-500 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus E-PL1

 K-500 E-PL1 
LaunchedNovember 2013May 2010Fresher by 43 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax K-500

 E-PL1 K-500 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither includes Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL1 features outer dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Pentax K-500 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL1 and the K-500.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and K-500 is 86 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizing only by checking out specs. The photograph underneath will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and K-500.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 using its smaller sensor will make getting bokeh more difficult and the Pentax K-500 will provide more detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Portrait photography camera
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
resolution not great (12MP)
74
focusing manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Street photography information
Pentax K-500 Street photography information
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen does not articulate
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
above average high ISO (51,600)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-500 Sports photography highlights
44
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
low fps (3.0 frames/s)
resolution not great (12MP)
not so great battery (290 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
72
great max shutter speed (1/6,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
better than average battery power (710 CIPA)
has phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (6.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL1
Travel photography with Pentax K-500
51
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
not so great battery (290 CIPA)
resolution not great (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
67
better than average battery power (710 shots)
good megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL1
Landscape photography with Pentax K-500
55
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inch)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (290 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse mode
79
focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
above average high ISO (51,600)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (710 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging factors
Pentax K-500 Vlogging factors
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have mic support
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external mic socket
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Pentax K-500
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Pentax K-500
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1 Pentax K-500
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2010-05-17 2013-11-27
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic V 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 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 51600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 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
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 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 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 334g (0.74 pounds) 646g (1.42 pounds)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 54 79
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 13.1
DXO Low light rating 487 1087
Other
Battery life 290 photographs 710 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack AA
Battery ID BLS-1 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $288 $600