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Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500

Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26
Olympus Stylus 550WP front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus 550WP
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-114mm (F3.5-5.0) lens
  • 167g - 94 x 62 x 22mm
  • Announced January 2009
  • Also Known as mju 550WP
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
  • Released November 2013
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Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the 550WP (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The 550WP was unveiled 5 years prior to the K-500 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a full comparison, below is a short highlight of how the 550WP matches up vs the K-500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus 550WP over the Pentax K-500

 550WP K-500 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus 550WP

 K-500 550WP 
ReleasedNovember 2013January 2009More recent by 59 months
Manually focus More exact focus
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus 550WP and Pentax K-500

 550WP K-500 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch display Neither provides Touch display

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to lug around your camera, you're going to have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus 550WP provides outside measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Pentax K-500 has measurements of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is the front view scale comparison of the 550WP compared to the K-500.

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the 550WP and K-500 is 94 and 64 respectively.

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading through specifications. The photograph here may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the 550WP and K-500.

To sum up, each of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The 550WP using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Pentax K-500 will give extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos far more aggressively. The older 550WP is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus 550WP
Portrait photography with Pentax K-500
19
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
74
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus 550WP
Street photography with Pentax K-500
61
has image stabilization (Digital)
weather proofing
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
good ISO range (51,600)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Olympus 550WP Sports photography information
Pentax K-500 Sports photography information
30
has image stabilization (Digital)
weather proofing
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,000s)
lack of shutter priority mode
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
72
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
better than average battery life (710 shots)
supports phase detect AF
max frames per second very slow (6.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus 550WP as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Travel photography camera
55
weather proofing
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
67
better than average battery life (710 per charge)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
does not feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus 550WP as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Landscape photography camera
30
has image stabilization (Digital)
weather proofing
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.5 inch)
manual exposure not available
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse recording
79
has manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
good ISO range (51,600)
delivers RAW formats
better than average battery life (710 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus 550WP Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-500 Vlogging highlights
25
has image stabilization (Digital)
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (640 x 480 pixels)
doesn't have microphone support
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not feature selfie friendly display
missing external mic jack
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Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 550WP and Pentax K-500
 Olympus Stylus 550WPPentax K-500
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus Stylus 550WP Pentax K-500
Also Known as mju 550WP -
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2009-01-07 2013-11-27
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - PRIME M
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 1600 51600
Minimum native ISO 64 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 38-114mm (3.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.5-5.0 -
Macro focusing range 7cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display 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
Minimum shutter speed 4s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/1000s 1/6000s
Continuous shutter speed - 6.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Highest video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 167 grams (0.37 pounds) 646 grams (1.42 pounds)
Dimensions 94 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photos
Style of battery - AA
Battery ID - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage media xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $399 $600