Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500
85 Imaging
55 Features
78 Overall
64
64 Imaging
57 Features
70 Overall
62
Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 6400 (Expand to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
- Announced February 2018
- Succeeded the Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 51600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Pentax KAF2 Mount
- 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
- Released November 2013
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Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is fairly close but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banThe E-PL9 was unveiled 4 years after the K-500 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-PL9 grades vs the K-500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Pentax K-500. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Pentax K-500
| E-PL9 | K-500 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | February 2018 | November 2013 | More modern by 52 months | |
| Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display | |
| Display resolution | 1040k | 921k | Clearer display (+119k dot) | |
| Touch friendly display | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus E-PL9
| K-500 | E-PL9 |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax K-500
| E-PL9 | K-500 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus | Very accurate focus | |||
| Display size | 3" | 3" | Same display measurements | |
| Selfie screen | No selfie screen |
Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison
When you are planning to carry around your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL9 comes with outside measurements of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") having a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst 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).
Examine the Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL9 versus the K-500.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL9 and K-500 is 85 and 64 respectively.
Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, its difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizes simply by looking through a spec sheet. The picture underneath will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL9 and K-500.
As you can see, each of the cameras come with the identical megapixel count but different sensor sizes. The E-PL9 provides the smaller sensor which will make obtaining shallow depth of field trickier. The more recent E-PL9 provides a benefit in sensor tech.
Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications
| Olympus PEN E-PL9 | Pentax K-500 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Manufacturer | Olympus | Pentax |
| Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL9 | Pentax K-500 |
| Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Announced | 2018-02-08 | 2013-11-27 |
| Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | TruePic VIII | PRIME M |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
| Sensor measurements | 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 |
| Highest resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4928 x 3264 |
| Highest native ISO | 6400 | 51600 |
| Highest boosted ISO | 25600 | - |
| Lowest native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW data | ||
| Lowest boosted ISO | 100 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detection focus | ||
| Contract detection focus | ||
| Phase detection focus | ||
| Total focus points | 121 | 11 |
| Cross type focus points | - | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Pentax KAF2 |
| Total lenses | 107 | 151 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Screen size | 3 inch | 3 inch |
| Screen resolution | 1,040k dots | 921k dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch operation | ||
| Screen tech | - | TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.61x |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/6000 seconds |
| Highest silent shutter speed | 1/16000 seconds | - |
| Continuous shooting rate | 8.6 frames per second | 6.0 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | 7.60 m (at ISO 200) | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) |
| Flash settings | Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless |
| External flash | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Highest flash synchronize | - | 1/180 seconds |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM | 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | 3840x2160 | 1920x1080 |
| Video format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Microphone 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 | ||
| Environmental sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 380 gr (0.84 pounds) | 646 gr (1.42 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") | 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | not tested | 79 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 23.7 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 13.1 |
| DXO Low light rating | not tested | 1087 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 350 pictures | 710 pictures |
| Battery type | Battery Pack | AA |
| Battery ID | - | 4 x AA |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Card slots | 1 | 1 |
| Launch pricing | $599 | $600 |