Olympus E-5 vs Sony A500

Below is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-5 and Sony A500, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-5 (12MP) and the A500 (12MP) is very well matched but the E-5 (Four Thirds) and A500 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was revealed 18 months later than the A500 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the E-5 scores against the A500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-5 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-5 has got exterior measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-5 and Sony A500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-5 and the A500.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and A500 is 58 and 63 respectively.

Often, it's hard to envision the gap between sensor measurements purely by looking at specifications. The photograph here will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-5 and A500.

To sum up, the 2 cameras posses the exact same resolution but not the same sensor measurements. The E-5 contains the tinier sensor which will make achieving shallower DOF tougher. The fresher E-5 is going to have a benefit in sensor technology.