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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010

Portability
70
Imaging
42
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Olympus FE-5010 front
Portability
96
Imaging
35
Features
20
Overall
29

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Expand to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Revealed October 2005
  • Alternate Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Updated by Olympus E-510
Olympus FE-5010
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 36-180mm (F3.5-5.6) lens
  • 130g - 96 x 57 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2009
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010 Overview

Here, we are comparing the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both offered by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FE-5010 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FE-5010 (1/2.3") offer different sensor size.

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The E-500 was announced 4 years prior to the FE-5010 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus FE-5010 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-500 grades against the FE-5010 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Olympus FE-5010

 E-500 FE-5010 
Manually focus More accurate focus

Reasons to pick Olympus FE-5010 over the Olympus E-500

 FE-5010 E-500 
LaunchedJanuary 2009October 2005Newer by 39 months
Display size2.7"2.5"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution230k215kClearer display (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Olympus FE-5010

 E-500 FE-5010 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 comes with exterior dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Olympus FE-5010 has proportions of 96mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") having a weight of 130 grams (0.29 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-500 and the FE-5010.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and FE-5010 is 70 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions purely by checking specs. The picture underneath should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and FE-5010.

All in all, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 using its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Olympus FE-5010 will give you greater detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography factors
Olympus FE-5010 Portrait photography factors
49
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no liveview
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
21
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography features
Olympus FE-5010 Street photography features
57
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lighter than competition in class (479g)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
max ISO too low (400)
66
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
lighter than competitors in class (130g)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus FE-5010 as a Sports photography camera
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
34
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
lack of shutter priority mode
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus FE-5010 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than competition in class (479g)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
60
lighter than competitors in class (130g)
weather sealing
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (36mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography details
Olympus FE-5010 Landscape photography details
43
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
small screen (2.5")
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
max ISO too low (400)
no Time Lapse recording
31
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (36mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
manual mode not possible
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-500
Vlogging with Olympus FE-5010
9
can't record video
28
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors in class (130 grams)
wide angle not the best (36mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (640 x 480 resolution)
lack of external mic port
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus FE-5010 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Olympus FE-5010
 Olympus E-500Olympus FE-5010
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-500 Olympus FE-5010
Otherwise known as EVOLT E-500 -
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2005-10-21 2009-01-07
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3264 x 2448 3968 x 2976
Maximum native ISO 400 1600
Maximum enhanced ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 64
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 36-180mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-5.6
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.5 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 215k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.00 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 640x480
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Mic 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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479 gr (1.06 lbs) 130 gr (0.29 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 96 x 57 x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8")
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 ID - LI-42B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card xD-Picture Card (1GB, 2GB), microSD (MASD-1 is required)
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $600 $130