Olympus 7030 vs Pentax K-500

Here is a extended review of the Olympus 7030 and Pentax K-500, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the 7030 (14MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is very well matched but the 7030 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The 7030 was introduced 4 years earlier than the K-500 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus 7030 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a full comparison, below is a brief overview of how the 7030 scores vs the K-500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 7030 and Pentax K-500. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus 7030 Gallery and Pentax K-500 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus 7030 features exterior dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") with a weight of 140 grams (0.31 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-500 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus 7030 and Pentax K-500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the 7030 vs the K-500.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the 7030 and K-500 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Often, it is tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizing only by reading through specs. The visual below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the 7030 and K-500.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The 7030 using its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Pentax K-500 will give you more detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older 7030 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.