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Olympus SP-810 UZ vs Pentax K-500

Portability
78
Imaging
37
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus SP-810 UZ front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus SP-810 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus SP-810 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-864mm (F2.9-5.7) lens
  • 413g - 106 x 76 x 74mm
  • Launched July 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus SP-800 UZ
Pentax K-500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • 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 SP-810 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Overview

On this page, we will be contrasting the Olympus SP-810 UZ versus Pentax K-500, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the SP-810 UZ (14MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is relatively well matched but the SP-810 UZ (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor size.

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The SP-810 UZ was launched 3 years before the K-500 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-810 UZ being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a quick view of how the SP-810 UZ scores against the K-500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SP-810 UZ over the Pentax K-500

 SP-810 UZ K-500 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus SP-810 UZ

 K-500 SP-810 UZ 
ReleasedNovember 2013July 2011More modern by 28 months
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SP-810 UZ and Pentax K-500

 SP-810 UZ K-500 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Olympus SP-810 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SP-810 UZ offers external measurements of 106mm x 76mm x 74mm (4.2" x 3.0" x 2.9") along with a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-500 has dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SP-810 UZ versus Pentax K-500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the SP-810 UZ versus the K-500.

Olympus SP-810 UZ vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SP-810 UZ and K-500 is 78 and 64 respectively.

Olympus SP-810 UZ vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SP-810 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is hard to see the difference between sensor sizes simply by reading through a spec sheet. The pic below may provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the SP-810 UZ and K-500.

Clearly, the two cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SP-810 UZ due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-500 will resolve extra detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged SP-810 UZ is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus SP-810 UZ vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Olympus SP-810 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SP-810 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SP-810 UZ as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Portrait photography camera
33
good resolution (14MP)
features face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
74
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus SP-810 UZ as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Street photography camera
50
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
above average ISO range (51,600)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SP-810 UZ Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-500 Sports photography highlights
40
great zoom range (24-864mm 36.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14MP)
features tracking autofocus
max shutter speed is low (1/1,200s)
low frames per second (0.7 fps)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
72
max shutter speed is good (1/6,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
great battery power (710 shots)
comes with phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SP-810 UZ
Travel photography with Pentax K-500
61
good resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (24mm)
great reach (864mm)
no Time Lapse mode
does not feature selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f2.9)
67
great battery power (710 per charge)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SP-810 UZ Landscape photography factors
Pentax K-500 Landscape photography factors
40
quite wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14MP)
lack of manual focus
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.9)
manual exposure not available
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
no Time Lapse mode
79
has manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
above average ISO range (51,600)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (710 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SP-810 UZ Vlogging info
Pentax K-500 Vlogging info
27
quite wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detection autofocus
slow max aperture (f2.9)
does not feature selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic port
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
lack of external mic socket
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Olympus SP-810 UZ vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-810 UZ and Pentax K-500
 Olympus SP-810 UZPentax K-500
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus SP-810 UZ Pentax K-500
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2011-07-27 2013-11-27
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact SLR
Sensor Information
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 surface area 28.1mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 3200 51600
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 24-864mm (36.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.9-5.7 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 1/4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/1200s 1/6000s
Continuous shooting rate 0.7 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.20 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
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)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 413 gr (0.91 pounds) 646 gr (1.42 pounds)
Physical dimensions 106 x 76 x 74mm (4.2" x 3.0" x 2.9") 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 - 710 shots
Battery type - AA
Battery ID Li-50B 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $280 $600