Olympus TG-610 vs Pentax K-500

Its time to examine more closely at the Olympus TG-610 and 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-610 (14MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is pretty well matched but the TG-610 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The TG-610 was announced 3 years earlier than the K-500 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-610 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight into a in depth comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the TG-610 scores versus the K-500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus TG-610 & Pentax K-500. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus TG-610 Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry around your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-610 provides outer dimensions of 96mm x 65mm x 26mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 1.0") having a weight of 190 grams (0.42 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-500 has dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Check the Olympus TG-610 and Pentax K-500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the TG-610 versus the K-500.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the TG-610 and K-500 is 93 and 64 respectively.

In many cases, it is tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes purely by checking technical specs. The image below will help give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-610 and K-500.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The TG-610 using its tinier sensor will make getting bokeh more difficult and the Pentax K-500 will resolve extra detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged TG-610 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.