Pentax K-500

Pentax K-500 is Pentax's Entry-Level DSLR digital camera first announced on November of 2013. It houses a 16 MegaPixel, CMOS APS-C size sensor with a peak resolution of 4928 x 3264.

The K-500 is scored #36 out of 80 in Entry-Level DSLR cameras & all around #284 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. You can look at our Smart camera finder to see camera listings based on your personal factors.

The following is a diagram of specific criteria used in the scoring system.

The Pentax K-500 is part of a family of products. You can see the detailed list below.

You can look at the K-500 from various angles in the gallery below.

Here is a collection of positives and negatives of the Pentax K-500 based on aspects that are usually seen as necessary in a digital camera.

The Pentax K-500 houses the PRIME M processor. The size of the sensor in the Pentax K-500 is 23.7mm x 15.7mm (APS-C). The 372 mm² sensor has the ability to resolve 4928 x 3264 pixels using aspect ratios of 3:2. The camera has Image Stabilization (Sensor based). Sensor stabilization is more effective than digital stabilization as the latter might lead to cropping.

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The CMOS sensor has 16 megapixels and delivers a standard ISO range of 100 - 51600. RAW photos are supported so you have more margin for error.

The graphic below shows the K-500's sensor size in comparison to other popular sizes. The K-500 sensor has a crop factor of 1.5 and is outlined in green.

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To get an idea of various aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Pentax K-500 weighs in at 1.42 pounds (646g / 22.79 ounces) & has external size of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8"). The weight of general Entry-Level DSLR camera is 540g so the Pentax K-500 is more heavy as compared with various rivals.

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The following is a pic of the Pentax K-500 besides a softdrink to help you get a feel for its size.

The top view below will provide the button arrangement on the K-500.

The K-500 works with the Pentax KAF2 mount and has 17 lenses on the market today. Here is a small number of the lenses we have in our database that will work with the K-500.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight

Pentax smc DA 50-135mm F2.8 ED IF SDM50-135mmf/2.8 685g

Samsung D-Xenon 18-250mm F3.5-6.318-250mmf/3.5-6.3 455g

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HD Pentax DA 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED WR55-300mmf/4.0-5.8 466g

Samsung D-Xenon 18-55mm F3.5-5.618-55mmf/3.5-5.6 225g

Pentax smc DA 16-50mm F2.8 ED AL IF SDM16-50mmf/2.8 565g

Irix 45mm F1.445mmf/1.4925g

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Samsung D-Xenon 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 Fisheye10-17mmf/3.5-4.5 320g

The K-500 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• GPS Yes

Cameras that include NFC and Bluetooth connectivity can easily be used wirelessly by smartphones. You can send files and at times alter camera settings with no need to connect straight with the camera.

A few apps also stream a Liveview and press the shutter in case you aren't close to the camera. If the camera contains a HDMI port, it could be hooked up to an external monitor. Many cameras will allow you to charge the battery with the USB port.

The highest video resolution in the Pentax K-500 is 1920 x 1080 and you can record in MPEG-4 and H.264 file format. 1080p resolution gives a great balance for video quality versus file size but FULL HD won't leave you with any room to downsample. The body doesn't include a microphone and headphone socket so you get absolutely no control over the sound. It is probably a better idea to look into a different camera in case you need better sound for your videos.

There is no weather proofing for the Pentax K-500 so you have to be cautious in rainy or dusty situations.

The Pentax K-500 is equipped with a 3 inch fixed display screen having a resolution of 921 thousand dots.

Sadly the display screen isn't a touch screen.

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The View Finder specifications for Pentax K-500 are as follows:

• ViewFinder Optical (pentaprism)
• ViewFinder Coverage 100%
• ViewFinder Magnification 0.61x

For bright outdoor situations that make the camera screens washed out and difficult to see, viewfinders will be very useful.

Pentax K-500 continuous shooting speed is 6.0 frames per second. The highest shutter speed is 1/6000 seconds.

Pentax K-500 has both built in flash together with external flash ability. The highest flash sync speed is 1/180 seconds.

Pentax K-500 has both Phase Detect Autofocus plus Contrast Based Autofocus. Phase Detection autofocusing is more quicker & precise as compared with Contrast Based autofocusing. The camera supports Face detection which can be valuable for taking portraits of people.

The Sensor supports 11 focus points to pick from. It also comes with Tracking Autofocus for moving things. Pentax K-500 has the ability to use manual focusing when needed for low light situations or you require more precise control on focusing.

The battery power (4 x AA) for the Pentax K-500 is fashioned to last for 710 photographs based on the CIPA standards making it above the usual for its category. The typical Entry-Level DSLR camera battery life is 589. Pentax K-x has got the highest (1900) battery life for this class of cameras.

Here is a list of Entry-Level DSLR cameras that come with the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Pentax K-x
K-500 vs K-x1900 yesnono

Nikon D3500
K-500 vs D35001550 yesnoyes

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Nikon D3400
K-500 vs D34001200 yesnoyes

Canon SL3
K-500 vs SL31070 yesnoyes

Sony A450
K-500 vs A4501050 yesnono

The following graph shows a analysis of the Pentax K-500 for varying types of photography. To view more, scroll to the specific paragraph below.

The Pentax K-500 receives a points total of 74 which is above average, and means the camera is a fine fit to use for portraits. Photographing portraits leans greatly towards sensor dimension, support for RAW photos plus the potential to use off-camera lighting.

Getting a nice score of 68, the Pentax K-500 is a fine pick to buy for street photography. A very good street photography camera gives a fine balance of image quality plus portability.

A very good sports photography rating of 72 suggests the Pentax K-500 is a fine pick for taking photos of sports. A camera really should have fantastic tracking and shutter speeds for sports photography.

Size is extremely critical when picking a travel camera. In general, the Pentax K-500 gets a very good 67 as a travelling camera which is a respectable pick to take with you on your trips.

For anyone who is looking to buy a digital camera for landscape photography, the most vital factor will be image quality. The Pentax K-500 with it's exceptional score of 79 as a landscape camera is a terrific pick among its competitors.

A camera for vlogging should offer a moving display, mic input and preferably image stabilization. Taking everything in to account, the Pentax K-500 is simply not suitable as a vlog camera as it gets a horrible rating of 30.

If you are interested in replacements to the K-500, below is a selection of the highest ranked cameras that fall in to the family of Entry-Level DSLR.

The graph here offers you an overview of the K-500 versus it's highest ranking rivals listed above.

These are various other cameras you may check out as alternatives. To look at a complete comparison, visit the "compare" link.