Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Pentax K-500

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus TG-820 iHS and Pentax K-500, one being a Waterproof and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the TG-820 iHS (12MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the TG-820 iHS (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizes.

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The TG-820 iHS was brought out 21 months earlier than the K-500 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-820 iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief summary of how the TG-820 iHS matches up vs the K-500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus TG-820 iHS and Pentax K-500. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus TG-820 iHS Gallery and Pentax K-500 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-820 iHS features outside dimensions of 101mm x 65mm x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0") along with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-500 has measurements of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus TG-820 iHS and Pentax K-500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is the front view size comparison of the TG-820 iHS versus the K-500.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the TG-820 iHS and K-500 is 92 and 64 respectively.

Often, it's hard to picture the gap in sensor measurements just by going through technical specs. The photograph below will give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-820 iHS and K-500.

As you have seen, both the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The TG-820 iHS featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-500 will produce greater detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older TG-820 iHS will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.