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Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus VR-340 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Olympus VR-340
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-240mm (F3.0-5.7) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2012
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
  • Released November 2013
Photography Glossary

Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Following is a extensive overview of the Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is pretty well matched but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) use different sensor sizing.

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The VR-340 was introduced 22 months earlier than the K-500 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a quick summation of how the VR-340 matches up vs the K-500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VR-340 over the Pentax K-500

 VR-340 K-500 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Olympus VR-340

 K-500 VR-340 
ReleasedNovember 2013January 2012More modern by 22 months
Manually focus Very precise focus
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VR-340 and Pentax K-500

 VR-340 K-500 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither includes Touch friendly screen

Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus VR-340 features exterior measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Pentax K-500 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Compare the Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the VR-340 versus the K-500.

Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VR-340 and K-500 is 96 and 64 respectively.

Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizes simply by checking a spec sheet. The pic here should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the VR-340 and K-500.

As you can see, both cameras posses the exact same megapixel count albeit different sensor sizes. The VR-340 has got the tinier sensor which will make obtaining shallow depth of field more difficult. The more aged VR-340 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus VR-340
Portrait photography with Pentax K-500
34
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
comes with face detect focus
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
74
focusing manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Street photography details
Pentax K-500 Street photography details
63
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (125 grams)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
good ISO range (51,600)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Sports photography information
Pentax K-500 Sports photography information
44
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
comes with tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
72
max shutter speed is good (1/6,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
great battery power (710 per charge)
sensor has phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Travel photography details
Pentax K-500 Travel photography details
69
lighter than competition (125g)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
67
great battery power (710 per charge)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Landscape photography features
Pentax K-500 Landscape photography features
43
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual exposure
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
79
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
good ISO range (51,600)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (710 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Vlogging details
Pentax K-500 Vlogging details
33
reasonably wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detect focus
lighter than competition (125g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone support
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
no external mic jack
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Olympus VR-340 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VR-340 and Pentax K-500
 Olympus VR-340Pentax K-500
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus VR-340 Pentax K-500
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2012-01-10 2013-11-27
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - 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 area 28.1mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 51600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 24-240mm (10.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.0-5.7 -
Amount of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology TFT Color LCD 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
Lowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/6000s
Continuous shooting speed - 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.80 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
Highest flash sync - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (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)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 125 grams (0.28 lbs) 646 grams (1.42 lbs)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 79
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 1087
Other
Battery life - 710 photos
Battery format - AA
Battery ID LI-50B 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 Single Single
Retail price $130 $600