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Olympus PEN-F vs Pentax K-500

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus PEN-F vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Introduced January 2016
Pentax K-500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Introduced November 2013
Photography Glossary

Olympus PEN-F vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Here, we are comparing the Olympus PEN-F and Pentax K-500, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and K-500 (APS-C) have totally different sensor measurements.

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The PEN-F was revealed 2 years after the K-500 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the PEN-F matches up versus the K-500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Pentax K-500

 PEN-F K-500 
IntroducedJanuary 2016November 2013Newer by 27 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k921kClearer display (+116k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus PEN-F

 K-500 PEN-F 

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Pentax K-500

 PEN-F K-500 
Focus manually More exact focus
Display size3"3"Same display measurements

Olympus PEN-F vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

If you're going to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus PEN-F provides external dimensions of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Pentax K-500 has dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Look at the Olympus PEN-F and Pentax K-500 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at the time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the PEN-F against the K-500.

Olympus PEN-F vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the PEN-F and K-500 is 84 and 64 respectively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be tough to see the gap between sensor dimensions merely by reviewing technical specs. The pic here might offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the PEN-F and K-500.

As you have seen, both the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The PEN-F having a tinier sensor will make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Olympus PEN-F will offer you greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The newer PEN-F is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus PEN-F vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Portrait photography features
Pentax K-500 Portrait photography features
75
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
saves RAW files
74
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Street photography features
Pentax K-500 Street photography features
84
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
has touch to focus
good ISO range (25,600)
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
above average ISO range (51,600)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Sports photography info
Pentax K-500 Sports photography info
67
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
silent shutter (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
not so great battery (330 per charge)
has no phase detect auto focus
72
great max shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
good battery power (710 shots)
has phase detect autofocus
low fps (6.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus PEN-F
Travel photography with Pentax K-500
75
has touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
not so great battery (330 shots)
67
good battery power (710 shots)
good MP (16MP)
built-in flash
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Landscape photography camera
76
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
not so great battery (330 CIPA)
79
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
above average ISO range (51,600)
exports RAW formats
good battery power (710 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus PEN-F
Vlogging with Pentax K-500
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lack of mic jack
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
missing external mic socket
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Olympus PEN-F vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Pentax K-500
 Olympus PEN-FPentax K-500
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN-F Pentax K-500
Class Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2016-01-27 2013-11-27
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII PRIME M
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 5184 x 3888 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 25600 51600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Min boosted ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 81 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/6000s
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 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 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic 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 427 grams (0.94 lbs) 646 grams (1.42 lbs)
Physical dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 74 79
DXO Color Depth rating 23.1 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 13.1
DXO Low light rating 894 1087
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 710 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack AA
Battery ID BLN-1 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $1,000 $600