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Leica V-Lux 3 vs Olympus E-500

Portability
67
Imaging
36
Features
57
Overall
44
Leica V-Lux 3 front
 
Olympus E-500 front
Portability
70
Imaging
42
Features
34
Overall
38

Leica V-Lux 3 vs Olympus E-500 Key Specs

Leica V-Lux 3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F2.8-5.2) lens
  • 540g - 124 x 81 x 95mm
  • Launched December 2011
  • Succeeded the Leica V-Lux 2
  • Replacement is Leica V-Lux 4
Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Boost to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Also Known as EVOLT E-500
  • Replacement is Olympus E-510
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Leica V-Lux 3 vs Olympus E-500 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Leica V-Lux 3 versus Olympus E-500, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Leica and Olympus. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the V-Lux 3 (12MP) and E-500 (8MP) and the V-Lux 3 (1/2.3") and E-500 (Four Thirds) have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The V-Lux 3 was announced 6 years later than the E-500 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Leica V-Lux 3 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple overview of how the V-Lux 3 grades versus the E-500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Leica V-Lux 3 over the Olympus E-500

 V-Lux 3 E-500 
IntroducedDecember 2011October 2005More recent by 75 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution461k215kSharper display (+246k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Leica V-Lux 3

 E-500 V-Lux 3 

Common features in the Leica V-Lux 3 and Olympus E-500

 V-Lux 3 E-500 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Leica V-Lux 3 vs Olympus E-500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera often, you will need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Leica V-Lux 3 features outer measurements of 124mm x 81mm x 95mm (4.9" x 3.2" x 3.7") with a weight of 540 grams (1.19 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-500 has measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs).

Check the Leica V-Lux 3 versus Olympus E-500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the V-Lux 3 compared to the E-500.

Leica V-Lux 3 vs Olympus E-500 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the V-Lux 3 and E-500 is 67 and 70 respectively.

Leica V-Lux 3 vs Olympus E-500 top view buttons comparison

Leica V-Lux 3 vs Olympus E-500 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to envision the difference between sensor measurements simply by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual underneath will provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the V-Lux 3 and E-500.

Clearly, both cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The V-Lux 3 with its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Leica V-Lux 3 will offer you extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The younger V-Lux 3 is going to have an edge in sensor technology.

Leica V-Lux 3 vs Olympus E-500 sensor size comparison

Leica V-Lux 3 vs Olympus E-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Leica V-Lux 3 vs Olympus E-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Leica V-Lux 3
Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
41
focusing manually
supports RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
49
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Leica V-Lux 3 Street photography information
Olympus E-500 Street photography information
58
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
heavier than others (540 grams)
57
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition (479 grams)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
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Sports Comparison

Leica V-Lux 3 Sports photography information
Olympus E-500 Sports photography information
43
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
better than average battery pack (410 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
doesn't have liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Leica V-Lux 3 Travel photography details
Olympus E-500 Travel photography details
56
better than average battery pack (410 CIPA)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
reasonably wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
heavier than others (540g)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
52
lighter than competition (479 grams)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse recording
resolution not great (8MP)
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Leica V-Lux 3 Landscape photography factors
Olympus E-500 Landscape photography factors
48
focusing manually
reasonably wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
better than average battery pack (410 CIPA)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have Time Lapse function
43
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
doesn't have liveview
no image stabilization
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
maximum ISO low (400)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Leica V-Lux 3
Vlogging with Olympus E-500
62
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external mic jack
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
heavier than others (540g)
9
no video
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Leica V-Lux 3 vs Olympus E-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica V-Lux 3 and Olympus E-500
 Leica V-Lux 3Olympus E-500
General Information
Company Leica Olympus
Model type Leica V-Lux 3 Olympus E-500
Also called - EVOLT E-500
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Launched 2011-12-08 2005-10-21
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 8 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Peak resolution 4000 x 3000 3264 x 2448
Highest native ISO 6400 400
Highest enhanced ISO - 1600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 23 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.2 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 45
Focal length multiplier 5.8 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of display 461 thousand dots 215 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.45x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 12.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 9.50 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, Motion JPEG -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 540 gr (1.19 lbs) 479 gr (1.06 lbs)
Physical dimensions 124 x 81 x 95mm (4.9" x 3.2" x 3.7") 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 410 photographs -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BP-DC 9 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 pictures)) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $949 $600