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Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax K-500

Portability
69
Imaging
37
Features
35
Overall
36
Olympus SP-800 UZ front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus SP-800 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 3200 (Raise to 1000)
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-840mm (F2.8-5.6) lens
  • 455g - 110 x 90 x 91mm
  • Announced February 2010
  • Later Model is Olympus SP-810 UZ
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
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Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Following is a complete analysis of the Olympus SP-800 UZ versus Pentax K-500, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the SP-800 UZ (14MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is fairly close but the SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) use different sensor size.

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The SP-800 UZ was introduced 4 years prior to the K-500 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SP-800 UZ being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a concise view of how the SP-800 UZ scores against the K-500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SP-800 UZ over the Pentax K-500

 SP-800 UZ K-500 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus SP-800 UZ

 K-500 SP-800 UZ 
IntroducedNovember 2013February 2010More modern by 46 months
Manually focus Very precise focus
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Pentax K-500

 SP-800 UZ K-500 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SP-800 UZ offers outer measurements of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") and a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs) whilst 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).

See the Olympus SP-800 UZ versus Pentax K-500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are using at the time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the SP-800 UZ compared to the K-500.

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the SP-800 UZ and K-500 is 69 and 64 respectively.

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizes just by researching a spec sheet. The picture underneath should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the SP-800 UZ and K-500.

As you can see, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The SP-800 UZ with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Pentax K-500 will result in more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SP-800 UZ will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Portrait photography camera
28
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
74
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detect focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Street photography camera
46
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
great ISO range (51,600)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SP-800 UZ
Sports photography with Pentax K-500
47
long zoom range (28-840mm 30.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
provides tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
72
high shutter speed (1/6,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
great battery power (710 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect AF
max frames per second low (6.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SP-800 UZ
Travel photography with Pentax K-500
61
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
great zoom (840mm)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
67
great battery power (710 CIPA)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ Landscape photography advice
Pentax K-500 Landscape photography advice
41
reasonably wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
79
manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great ISO range (51,600)
exports RAW files
great battery power (710 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-500 Vlogging highlights
24
reasonably wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone jack
30
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing mic support
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Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-800 UZ and Pentax K-500
 Olympus SP-800 UZPentax K-500
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus SP-800 UZ Pentax K-500
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2010-02-02 2013-11-27
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III PRIME M
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2
Full resolution 4288 x 3216 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 51600
Max boosted ISO 1000 -
Min native ISO 64 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 143 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 28-840mm (30.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.8-5.6 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 12s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/6000s
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per sec 6.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.10 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported 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 file format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 455 gr (1.00 lb) 646 gr (1.42 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 90 x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 79
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.1
DXO Low light score not tested 1087
Other
Battery life - 710 photographs
Form of battery - AA
Battery model Li-50B 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Launch price $270 $600