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Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
79
Imaging
37
Features
65
Overall
48
Olympus Stylus 1 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus 1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-300mm (F2.8) lens
  • 402g - 116 x 87 x 57mm
  • Released November 2013
  • Replacement is Olympus 1s
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 1 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Following is a in-depth review of the Olympus 1 versus Pentax K-500, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference among the image resolutions of the 1 (12MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the 1 (1/1.7") and K-500 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The 1 was brought out within a month of the K-500 and they are of a similar age. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus 1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a full comparison, below is a concise overview of how the 1 grades against the K-500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus 1 over the Pentax K-500

 1 K-500 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1040k921kClearer screen (+119k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus 1

 K-500 1 

Common features in the Olympus 1 and Pentax K-500

 1 K-500 
ReleasedNovember 2013November 2013Same age
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus 1 has external measurements of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") along with a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs) while the Pentax K-500 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Check the Olympus 1 versus Pentax K-500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the 1 vs the K-500.

Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the 1 and K-500 is 79 and 64 respectively.

Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes only by going through technical specs. The picture here will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the 1 and K-500.

As you can tell, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The 1 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Pentax K-500 will provide greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures much more aggressively.

Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus 1 Portrait photography details
Pentax K-500 Portrait photography details
48
you can focus manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
supports face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
74
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detection focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus 1 Street photography advice
Pentax K-500 Street photography advice
70
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
includes touch to focus
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
very good ISO range (51,600)
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus 1 Sports photography details
Pentax K-500 Sports photography details
43
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports tracking autofocus
good battery life (410 CIPA)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
does not have phase detect auto focus
72
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
great battery power (710 per charge)
has phase detect auto focus
slow fps (6.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus 1 Travel photography info
Pentax K-500 Travel photography info
61
good battery life (410 per charge)
includes touch to focus
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
very long reach (300mm)
no Time Lapse function
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
67
great battery power (710 shots)
resolution is good (16MP)
has built in flash
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus 1 Landscape photography details
Pentax K-500 Landscape photography details
49
you can focus manually
pretty wide (28mm)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (410 CIPA)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
no Time Lapse function
79
has manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good ISO range (51,600)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (710 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus 1 Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-500 Vlogging highlights
32
pretty wide (28mm)
touch screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
no external mic support
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone port
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Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 1 and Pentax K-500
 Olympus Stylus 1Pentax K-500
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus Stylus 1 Pentax K-500
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2013-11-25 2013-11-27
Body design SLR-like (bridge) Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI PRIME M
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" APS-C
Sensor measurements 7.44 x 5.58mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 41.5mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 3968 x 2976 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 12800 51600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 25 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 28-300mm (10.7x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.8 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Crop factor 4.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,040k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech LCD TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/6000s
Continuous shooting speed 7.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, redeye reduction, fill-on, off, redeye reduction slow sync, full, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/2000s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p); high speed: 640 x 480 (120p), 320 x 240 (240p) 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 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 402g (0.89 pounds) 646g (1.42 pounds)
Dimensions 116 x 87 x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 51 79
DXO Color Depth rating 20.7 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 13.1
DXO Low light rating 179 1087
Other
Battery life 410 images 710 images
Type of battery Battery Pack AA
Battery ID BLS-5 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $700 $600