Clicky

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-500

Portability
89
Imaging
40
Features
36
Overall
38
Olympus SZ-16 iHS front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-16 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Revealed January 2013
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
  • Launched November 2013
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Below, we are contrasting the Olympus SZ-16 iHS versus Pentax K-500, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is very comparable but the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) use totally different sensor dimensions.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The SZ-16 iHS was released 10 months earlier than the K-500 which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a short introduction of how the SZ-16 iHS scores against the K-500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-16 iHS over the Pentax K-500

 SZ-16 iHS K-500 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus SZ-16 iHS

 K-500 SZ-16 iHS 
LaunchedNovember 2013January 2013More recent by 10 months
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Display resolution921k460kCrisper display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax K-500

 SZ-16 iHS K-500 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither features Touch friendly display

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to lug around your camera, you're going to have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS enjoys exterior dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-500 has measurements of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SZ-16 iHS versus Pentax K-500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is the front view size comparison of the SZ-16 iHS and the K-500.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-16 iHS and K-500 is 89 and 64 respectively.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's tough to envision the contrast in sensor measurements merely by going through a spec sheet. The visual below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-16 iHS and K-500.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have got the exact same resolution but not the same sensor measurements. The SZ-16 iHS contains the smaller sensor which should make getting shallow DOF harder. The older SZ-16 iHS will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Portrait photography camera
35
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
has face detection focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
74
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has face detection focus
delivers RAW files
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Street photography highlights
Pentax K-500 Street photography highlights
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (226g)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
above average high ISO (51,600)
no articulating screen
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-16 iHS
Sports photography with Pentax K-500
42
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery pack (220 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
72
max shutter speed is good (1/6,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
good battery life (710 CIPA)
supports phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than average in class (226g)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
does not have Timelapse function
low battery pack (220 CIPA)
does not have selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
67
good battery life (710 per charge)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
built-in flash
does not have a selfie friendly screen
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Landscape photography details
Pentax K-500 Landscape photography details
41
relatively wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual exposure
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
low battery pack (220 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse function
79
manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
above average high ISO (51,600)
delivers RAW files
good battery life (710 per charge)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Vlogging info
Pentax K-500 Vlogging info
31
relatively wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focus
lighter than average in class (226g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not have selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone port
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
lack of external mic socket
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax K-500
 Olympus SZ-16 iHSPentax K-500
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus SZ-16 iHS Pentax K-500
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2013-01-08 2013-11-27
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - PRIME M
Sensor type CMOS 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 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 51600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Number of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT Color LCD 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
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames per sec 6.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/180 seconds
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), 320 x 180 (30fps) 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 format MPEG-4, H.264 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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 grams (0.50 lb) 646 grams (1.42 lb)
Dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 220 shots 710 shots
Battery type Battery Pack AA
Battery model LI-50B 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $230 $600