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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
26
Overall
31
Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus Tough-3000
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.5-5.1) lens
  • 159g - 96 x 65 x 23mm
  • Introduced January 2010
  • Other Name is mju Tough 3000
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
Photography Glossary

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Following is a detailed review of the Olympus Tough-3000 versus Pentax K-500, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the Tough-3000 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) posses different sensor size.

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The Tough-3000 was announced 4 years prior to the K-500 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a detailed comparison, here is a concise overview of how the Tough-3000 grades vs the K-500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus Tough-3000 over the Pentax K-500

 Tough-3000 K-500 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus Tough-3000

 K-500 Tough-3000 
LaunchedNovember 2013January 2010More modern by 47 months
Focus manually More exact focus
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus Tough-3000 and Pentax K-500

 Tough-3000 K-500 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera often, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus Tough-3000 has got outer measurements of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") and a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Pentax K-500 has proportions 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 Tough-3000 versus Pentax K-500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select during that time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the Tough-3000 compared to the K-500.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the Tough-3000 and K-500 is 94 and 64 respectively.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very hard to picture the difference between sensor sizes simply by reading technical specs. The picture below should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the Tough-3000 and K-500.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The Tough-3000 with its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-500 will deliver more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged Tough-3000 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Portrait photography features
Pentax K-500 Portrait photography features
21
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
74
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Street photography advice
Pentax K-500 Street photography advice
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
very good ISO range (51,600)
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Sports photography features
Pentax K-500 Sports photography features
36
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
slow fps (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
72
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
better than average battery pack (710 CIPA)
supports phase detect AF
low frames per second (6.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Travel photography camera
61
weather proof
built-in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
no Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
67
better than average battery pack (710 per charge)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
does not have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Landscape photography camera
35
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
lack of manual exposure
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
no Timelapse function
79
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
very good ISO range (51,600)
supports RAW files
better than average battery pack (710 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus Tough-3000
Vlogging with Pentax K-500
28
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone support
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have selfie friendly screen
no external mic port
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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus Tough-3000 and Pentax K-500
 Olympus Stylus Tough-3000Pentax K-500
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 Pentax K-500
Also called mju Tough 3000 -
Class Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2010-01-07 2013-11-27
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III 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 surface area 27.7mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 3968 x 2976 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 1600 51600
Lowest native ISO 64 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
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 28-102mm (3.6x) -
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.1 -
Macro focus range 2cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames per sec 6.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.00 m 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
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 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, 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)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 159g (0.35 lb) 646g (1.42 lb)
Physical dimensions 96 x 65 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") 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 photographs
Form of battery - AA
Battery model - 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Launch cost $0 $600