Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax K-500

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SP-800 UZ and Pentax K-500. The whole galleries are available at Olympus SP-800 UZ Gallery and Pentax K-500 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.