Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-500
56 Imaging
44 Features
56 Overall
48


70 Imaging
41 Features
34 Overall
38
Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-500 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.5" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
- Introduced February 2008
- Earlier Model is Olympus E-1
- Renewed by Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
- 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 400 (Push to 1600)
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
- Revealed October 2005
- Alternate Name is EVOLT E-500
- Successor is Olympus E-510

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-500 Overview
Following is a extensive assessment of the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-500, both Advanced DSLR cameras and both are offered by Olympus. There is a noticeable difference among the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and E-500 (8MP) but they come with the same exact sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

The E-3 was brought out 2 years after the E-500 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).
Before getting through a in-depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-3 matches up vs the E-500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-500 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-3 & Olympus E-500. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Olympus E-500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus E-500
E-3 | E-500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | February 2008 | ![]() | October 2005 | More modern by 29 months |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen resolution | 230k | ![]() | 215k | Sharper screen (+15k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Olympus E-3
E-500 | E-3 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-500
E-3 | E-500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More accurate focusing | ||
Screen sizing | 2.5" | ![]() | 2.5" | Equivalent screen sizing |
Touch screen | ![]() | Neither contains Touch screen |
Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-500 Physical Comparison
In case you're aiming to carry around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 has got outside dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Olympus E-500 has specifications of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at the time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-3 and the E-500.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and E-500 is 56 and 70 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-500 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it is very hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizes only by checking out technical specs. The pic underneath should offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and E-500.
As you can tell, both of those cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different resolution. You can expect the Olympus E-3 to produce greater detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The fresher E-3 should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-500 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-500 Specifications
Olympus E-3 | Olympus E-500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Olympus |
Model type | Olympus E-3 | Olympus E-500 |
Also called as | - | EVOLT E-500 |
Type | Advanced DSLR | Advanced DSLR |
Introduced | 2008-02-20 | 2005-10-21 |
Body design | Mid-size SLR | Mid-size SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic III | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | Four Thirds |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 17.3 x 13mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 224.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10MP | 8MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 |
Maximum resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 3264 x 2448 |
Maximum native ISO | 3200 | 400 |
Maximum boosted ISO | - | 1600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Total focus points | 11 | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds |
Total lenses | 45 | 45 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 2.1 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Display size | 2.5 inches | 2.5 inches |
Resolution of display | 230k dot | 215k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | Optical (pentaprism) |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 95 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | 0.45x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 60 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 5.0 frames per sec | 3.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 13.00 m | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/250 secs | 1/180 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Maximum video resolution | None | None |
Microphone jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
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 seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 890 grams (1.96 lbs) | 479 grams (1.06 lbs) |
Dimensions | 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") | 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 56 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.6 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.5 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 571 | not tested |
Other | ||
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage media | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Retail cost | $670 | $600 |