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Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
85
Imaging
55
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(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
Pentax K-500
(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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Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

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.

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The 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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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Pentax K-500

 E-PL9 K-500 
ReleasedFebruary 2018November 2013More modern by 52 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1040k921kClearer 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 size3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Portrait photography camera
73
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
74
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Street photography details
Pentax K-500 Street photography details
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
includes touch to focus
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
above average high ISO (51,600)
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Sports photography camera
69
quiet mode (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
has no phase detect autofocus
72
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers tracking focus
great battery power (710 CIPA)
comes with phase detect AF
max fps low (6.0 fps)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Travel photography features
Pentax K-500 Travel photography features
77
supports bluetooth
includes touch to focus
good MP (16MP)
flash built-in
display is not selfie friendly
67
great battery power (710 CIPA)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL9
Landscape photography with Pentax K-500
80
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
79
has manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
above average high ISO (51,600)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (710 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Vlogging features
Pentax K-500 Vlogging features
35
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
no mic socket
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
no microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Pentax K-500
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Pentax 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