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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Announced October 2005
  • Additionally referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-510
Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Announced October 2013
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-M1 II
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 Overview

Following is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus E-M1, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless and both of them are offered by Olympus. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and E-M1 (16MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-500 was launched 9 years prior to the E-M1 which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-500 matches up vs the E-M1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Olympus E-M1

 E-500 E-M1 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus E-500

 E-M1 E-500 
AnnouncedOctober 2013October 2005More modern by 97 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k215kCrisper screen (+822k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-M1

 E-500 E-M1 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera, you need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 has external measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Olympus E-M1 has sizing of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs).

See the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus E-M1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-500 versus the E-M1.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and E-M1 is 70 and 71 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is tough to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes only by going over technical specs. The pic here will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and E-M1.

As you have seen, the two cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different MP. You can expect the Olympus E-M1 to offer more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography features
Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography features
48
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no liveview feature
low megapixels (8MP)
71
has manual focus
high flash sync (1/320s)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography advice
Olympus E-M1 Street photography advice
56
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lighter than competition in class (479g)
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
78
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
offers touch to focus
weather proofing
lighter than others in class (497g)
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-500
Sports photography with Olympus E-M1
37
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
terrible battery pack (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography features
Olympus E-M1 Travel photography features
52
lighter than competition in class (479 grams)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
65
lighter than others in class (497g)
weather proofing
offers touch to focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (350 per charge)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography factors
Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography factors
43
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen is small (2.5")
no liveview feature
no image stabilization
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
maximum ISO low (400)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
73
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
terrible battery pack (350 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging information
Olympus E-M1 Vlogging information
9
can't shoot video
36
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes microphone support
lighter than others in class (497g)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-M1
 Olympus E-500Olympus OM-D E-M1
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-500 Olympus OM-D E-M1
Also called as EVOLT E-500 -
Category Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2005-10-21 2013-10-28
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - TruePIC VII
Sensor type CCD CMOS
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 8 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 400 25600
Max enhanced ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 3 81
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 215k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.74x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/320 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 grams (1.06 pounds) 497 grams (1.10 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 73
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.7
DXO Low light score not tested 757
Other
Battery life - 350 photos
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model - BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $600 $799