Clicky

Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
33
Overall
35
Olympus TG-310 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus TG-310
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.9-5.9) lens
  • 155g - 96 x 63 x 23mm
  • Revealed January 2011
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
  • Launched November 2013
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-500, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the TG-310 (14MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is pretty well matched but the TG-310 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor size.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The TG-310 was introduced 3 years before the K-500 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-310 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a simple overview of how the TG-310 matches up versus the K-500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-310 over the Pentax K-500

 TG-310 K-500 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus TG-310

 K-500 TG-310 
LaunchedNovember 2013January 2011Newer by 35 months
Focus manually More exact focus
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kSharper screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-310 and Pentax K-500

 TG-310 K-500 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus TG-310 comes with physical dimensions of 96mm x 63mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9") along with a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs) and the Pentax K-500 has specifications of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-310 vs 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 change based on the lens you have attached at that time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the TG-310 versus the K-500.

Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-310 and K-500 is 94 and 64 respectively.

Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions only by reading through technical specs. The pic here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-310 and K-500.

As you have seen, the two cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The TG-310 having a tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh trickier and the Pentax K-500 will resolve greater detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged TG-310 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-310 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax K-500 Portrait photography highlights
33
MP count good (14MP)
provides face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
74
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Olympus TG-310 Street photography advice
Pentax K-500 Street photography advice
66
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
lighter than competition (155g)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
very good ISO range (51,600)
fixed screen
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-310 Sports photography information
Pentax K-500 Sports photography information
40
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14MP)
provides tracking focus
weather proofing
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
bad battery power (150 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
72
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
great battery (710 CIPA)
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps very slow (6.0 frames/s)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-310 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-500 Travel photography highlights
67
lighter than competition (155g)
weather proofing
MP count good (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
bad battery power (150 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.9)
67
great battery (710 shots)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-310 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax K-500 as a Landscape photography camera
39
fairly wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14MP)
weather proofing
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.9)
screen is small (2.7")
lack of manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
bad battery power (150 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
79
has manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is decent (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
very good ISO range (51,600)
saves RAW files
great battery (710 shots)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-310
Vlogging with Pentax K-500
32
fairly wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect autofocus
lighter than competition (155g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.9)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing mic support
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
does not have external mic port
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Olympus TG-310 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-310 and Pentax K-500
 Olympus TG-310Pentax K-500
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus TG-310 Pentax K-500
Class Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2011-01-06 2013-11-27
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III+ PRIME M
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 1600 51600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 28-102mm (3.6x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.9-5.9 -
Macro focus range 3cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology TFT Color LCD 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
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.20 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
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 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 Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 155g (0.34 pounds) 646g (1.42 pounds)
Physical dimensions 96 x 63 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 150 images 710 images
Battery form Battery Pack AA
Battery model LI-42B 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $0 $600