Canon 50D vs Olympus E-5
57 Imaging
53 Features
65 Overall
57


58 Imaging
47 Features
76 Overall
58
Canon 50D vs Olympus E-5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1280 x 720 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
- Introduced February 2011
- Succeeded the Olympus E-3

Canon 50D vs Olympus E-5 Overview
Let's look a little more in depth at the Canon 50D and Olympus E-5, both Advanced DSLR cameras by companies Canon and Olympus. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the 50D (15MP) and E-5 (12MP) and the 50D (APS-C) and E-5 (Four Thirds) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

The 50D was announced 3 years before the E-5 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).
Before going through a full comparison, below is a short summary of how the 50D matches up versus the E-5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Canon 50D vs Olympus E-5 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Canon EOS 50D & Olympus E-5. The whole galleries are viewable at Canon 50D Gallery & Olympus E-5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon 50D over the Olympus E-5
50D | E-5 |
---|
Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Canon 50D
E-5 | 50D | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | February 2011 | ![]() | October 2008 | Newer by 27 months |
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Canon 50D and Olympus E-5
50D | E-5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial exact focus | ||
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent display sizing |
Display resolution | 920k | ![]() | 920k | Same display resolution |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Lacking Touch friendly display |
Canon 50D vs Olympus E-5 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Canon 50D has outside dimensions of 146mm x 108mm x 74mm (5.7" x 4.3" x 2.9") along with a weight of 822 grams (1.81 lbs) while the Olympus E-5 has proportions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).
Check out the Canon 50D and Olympus E-5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using during that time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the 50D and the E-5.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 50D and E-5 is 57 and 58 respectively.

Canon 50D vs Olympus E-5 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, its hard to envision the difference in sensor dimensions only by going through a spec sheet. The pic below might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the 50D and E-5.
As you can see, each of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The 50D with its larger sensor will make getting bokeh simpler and the Canon 50D will show extra detail with its extra 3MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics far more aggressively. The more aged 50D will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Canon 50D vs Olympus E-5 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon 50D vs Olympus E-5 Specifications
Canon EOS 50D | Olympus E-5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Canon | Olympus |
Model | Canon EOS 50D | Olympus E-5 |
Category | Advanced DSLR | Advanced DSLR |
Revealed | 2008-10-30 | 2011-02-03 |
Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Mid-size SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | Digic 4 | TruePic V+ |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | APS-C | Four Thirds |
Sensor dimensions | 22.3 x 14.9mm | 17.3 x 13mm |
Sensor surface area | 332.3mm² | 224.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 15 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4752 x 3168 | 4032 x 3024 |
Highest native ISO | 3200 | 6400 |
Highest enhanced ISO | 12800 | - |
Minimum 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 detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 9 | 11 |
Cross focus points | - | 11 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Canon EF/EF-S | Micro Four Thirds |
Total lenses | 326 | 45 |
Crop factor | 1.6 | 2.1 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Screen sizing | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Screen resolution | 920 thousand dots | 920 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Screen technology | TFT liquid-crystal color LCD | HyperCrystal transmissive LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | Optical (pentaprism) |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.6x | 0.58x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 30 secs | 60 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/8000 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 6.3 frames per second | 5.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 13.00 m (ISO 100) | 18.00 m (at ISO 200) |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/250 secs | 1/250 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
Video format | - | Motion JPEG |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 822 gr (1.81 pounds) | 800 gr (1.76 pounds) |
Dimensions | 146 x 108 x 74mm (5.7" x 4.3" x 2.9") | 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 63 | 56 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.8 | 21.6 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 11.4 | 10.5 |
DXO Low light score | 696 | 519 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 800 photos | 870 photos |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BP-511A | BLM-5 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA | Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Card slots | Single | Two |
Price at release | $996 | $1,700 |