Pentax K-01 vs Nikon Coolpix P500

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Pentax K-01 and the Nikon Coolpix P500, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Pentax K-01 was introduced in May 2012 and Nikon Coolpix P500 was introduced in February 2011. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax K-01 over Nikon Coolpix P500.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Coolpix P500 over Pentax K-01.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Pentax K-01 and Nikon Coolpix P500 have 3.0" screens with 921k dot resolution. Pentax K-01 has a Fixed screen Nikon Coolpix P500 has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Electronic Viewfinder on Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Pentax K-01.

Pentax K-01 features a 16 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.7 x 15.7 mm and a total area of 372.1 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. Nikon Coolpix P500 features a 12.1 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 160 - 3,200.

Nikon Coolpix P500 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Pentax K-01 can take pictures up to 4928 x 3264 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4352 x 3264, 4224 x 2816, 4928 x 2776, 4224 x 2376, 3840 x 2880, 3456 x 2304, 3456x1944, 3264 x 3264, 3072 x 2304, 2880 x 2880, 2688 x 1792, 2688 x 1512, 2304 x 2304, 2304 x 1728, 1728 x 1728 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Nikon Coolpix P500 is equipped with Expeed C2 processor and can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 3000, 3968 x 2232, 3264 x 2448, 2592 x 2944, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 with 4:3, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in image stabilization. On Pentax K-01 it means that you are still getting vibration reduction when it is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Pentax K-01 has a Mini Type C HDMI and Nikon Coolpix P500 has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Pentax K-01 comes with D-LI90 battery pack with battery life of 540 shots and Nikon Coolpix P500 comes with EN-EL5 battery pack with battery life of 220 shots.

External Storage Slots

Pentax K-01 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Nikon Coolpix P500 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Pentax K-01, and up to 1/1500 sec on Nikon Coolpix P500. Pentax K-01 can shoot continuously up to 6.0 fps. Nikon Coolpix P500 can shoot continuously up to 0.8 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m at ISO 100 on Pentax K-01 and 8.00 m on Nikon Coolpix P500. Pentax K-01 also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec on Pentax K-01.

Pentax K-01 body has dimensions of 122 x 79 x 58 mm (4.8 x 3.11 x 2.28") and Nikon Coolpix P500 body has dimensions of 116 x 84 x 103 mm (4.57 x 3.31 x 4.06"). Pentax K-01 weighs 561 g (1.24 lb / 19.79 oz) and Nikon Coolpix P500 weighs 494 g (1.09 lb / 17.43 oz).

Pentax K-01

Nikon Coolpix P500

122 mm

79 mm

116 mm

84 mm

79 mm

84 mm

58 mm

103 mm