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Olympus 7040 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
31
Overall
34
Olympus Stylus 7040 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus 7040 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus 7040
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-196mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
  • 144g - 95 x 56 x 26mm
  • Released January 2010
  • Alternate Name is mju 7040
Pentax K-500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Released November 2013
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Olympus 7040 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus 7040 and Pentax K-500, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the 7040 (14MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is very similar but the 7040 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) possess different sensor sizes.

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The 7040 was announced 4 years before the K-500 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus 7040 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the 7040 scores vs the K-500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus 7040 over the Pentax K-500

 7040 K-500 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus 7040

 K-500 7040 
ReleasedNovember 2013January 2010More recent by 47 months
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus 7040 and Pentax K-500

 7040 K-500 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Olympus 7040 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus 7040 comes with exterior dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") having a weight of 144 grams (0.32 lbs) while the Pentax K-500 has specifications of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Compare the Olympus 7040 and Pentax K-500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the 7040 vs the K-500.

Olympus 7040 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 7040 and K-500 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Olympus 7040 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 7040 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to imagine the difference between sensor measurements just by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual underneath should give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the 7040 and K-500.

As you can see, both of those cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The 7040 with its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Pentax K-500 will deliver more detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older 7040 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus 7040 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Olympus 7040 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 7040 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus 7040 Portrait photography advice
Pentax K-500 Portrait photography advice
28
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
no manual mode
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
74
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus 7040 Street photography details
Pentax K-500 Street photography details
57
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
above average ISO range (51,600)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Olympus 7040 Sports photography advice
Pentax K-500 Sports photography advice
39
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
72
high shutter speed (1/6,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features tracking focus
great battery life (710 shots)
has phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus 7040 Travel photography advice
Pentax K-500 Travel photography advice
65
decent megapixels (14MP)
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
67
great battery life (710 per charge)
resolution is good (16MP)
flash built-in
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus 7040
Landscape photography with Pentax K-500
42
really wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (14MP)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
no manual mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
lack of Time Lapse function
79
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
above average ISO range (51,600)
delivers RAW files
great battery life (710 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus 7040 Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-500 Vlogging highlights
29
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external mic port
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone socket
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Olympus 7040 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 7040 and Pentax K-500
 Olympus Stylus 7040Pentax K-500
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus Stylus 7040 Pentax K-500
Also Known as mju 7040 -
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2010-01-07 2013-11-27
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III PRIME M
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2
Peak resolution 4288 x 3216 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 1600 51600
Lowest native ISO 64 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 28-196mm (7.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.0-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 2cm -
Available lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/6000s
Continuous shutter rate 1.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.70 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 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 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone 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 144 grams (0.32 lbs) 646 grams (1.42 lbs)
Dimensions 95 x 56 x 26mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") 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 - 710 photos
Battery type - AA
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SC/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $299 $600