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Nikon D600 vs Olympus E-500

Portability
56
Imaging
69
Features
79
Overall
73
Nikon D600 front
 
Olympus E-500 front
Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38

Nikon D600 vs Olympus E-500 Key Specs

Nikon D600
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Expand to 25600)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 850g - 141 x 113 x 82mm
  • Announced November 2012
  • Older Model is Nikon D300S
  • Renewed by Nikon D610
Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Increase to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Launched October 2005
  • Alternate Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Updated by Olympus E-510
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Nikon D600 vs Olympus E-500 Overview

On this page, we will be analyzing the Nikon D600 versus Olympus E-500, both Advanced DSLR cameras by rivals Nikon and Olympus. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the D600 (24MP) and E-500 (8MP) and the D600 (Full frame) and E-500 (Four Thirds) provide different sensor dimensions.

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The D600 was manufactured 7 years later than the E-500 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before diving into a full comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the D600 scores vs the E-500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D600 over the Olympus E-500

 D600 E-500 
LaunchedNovember 2012October 2005More recent by 86 months
Screen dimensions3.2"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.7")
Screen resolution921k215kSharper screen (+706k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Nikon D600

 E-500 D600 

Common features in the Nikon D600 and Olympus E-500

 D600 E-500 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Nikon D600 vs Olympus E-500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Nikon D600 offers physical dimensions of 141mm x 113mm x 82mm (5.6" x 4.4" x 3.2") along with a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs) and the Olympus E-500 has measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs).

Contrast the Nikon D600 versus Olympus E-500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the D600 against the E-500.

Nikon D600 vs Olympus E-500 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the D600 and E-500 is 56 and 70 respectively.

Nikon D600 vs Olympus E-500 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D600 vs Olympus E-500 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is tough to picture the contrast in sensor measurements just by seeing specifications. The visual underneath will give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the D600 and E-500.

Plainly, each of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The D600 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Nikon D600 will produce greater detail due to its extra 16MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs more aggressively. The fresher D600 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Nikon D600 vs Olympus E-500 sensor size comparison

Nikon D600 vs Olympus E-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D600 vs Olympus E-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Nikon D600
Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
81
focusing manually
MP count good (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
provides face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
48
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon D600
Street photography with Olympus E-500
60
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
56
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than others (479g)
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
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Sports Comparison

Nikon D600 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus E-500 as a Sports photography camera
70
MP count good (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (5.5 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
slow frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Nikon D600 Travel photography details
Olympus E-500 Travel photography details
66
weather sealing
MP count good (24MP)
built-in flash
does not feature selfie friendly display
52
lighter than others (479 grams)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse mode
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon D600 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
77
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Nikon F mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2 inch)
MP count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
has dual storage slots
does not have image stabilization
43
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
small screen (2.5 inch)
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Nikon D600
Vlogging with Olympus E-500
30
provides face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external microphone jack
does not feature selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
9
can't record video
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Nikon D600 vs Olympus E-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D600 and Olympus E-500
 Nikon D600Olympus E-500
General Information
Make Nikon Olympus
Model type Nikon D600 Olympus E-500
Also referred to as - EVOLT E-500
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Announced 2012-11-13 2005-10-21
Body design Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Expeed 3 -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixel 8 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3
Full resolution 6016 x 4016 3264 x 2448
Max native ISO 6400 400
Max boosted ISO 25600 1600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Min boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 39 3
Cross type focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens support Nikon F Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 309 45
Focal length multiplier 1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3.2" 2.5"
Screen resolution 921k dot 215k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT LCD monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.45x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.5 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/200s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Optional None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 850 gr (1.87 pounds) 479 gr (1.06 pounds)
Physical dimensions 141 x 113 x 82mm (5.6" x 4.4" x 3.2") 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 94 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 25.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 2980 not tested
Other
Battery life 900 photographs -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery ID EN-EL15 -
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC x 2 slots Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card
Storage slots Two One
Price at launch $1,900 $600