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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 II

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
Portability
68
Imaging
59
Features
93
Overall
72

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 II Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Boost to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Launched October 2005
  • Other Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Renewed by Olympus E-510
Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 574g - 134 x 91 x 67mm
  • Announced September 2016
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-M1
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M1 III
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 II Overview

Below is a in-depth review of the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 II, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless and they are both sold by Olympus. There is a sizeable difference among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and E-M1 II (20MP) but they use the same exact sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was unveiled 12 years prior to the E-M1 II and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-500 scores vs the E-M1 II when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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

 E-500 E-M1 II 

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

 E-M1 II E-500 
AnnouncedSeptember 2016October 2005More recent by 132 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k215kCrisper screen (+822k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

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

 E-500 E-M1 II 
Manually focus Very accurate focus

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 comes with exterior dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-M1 II has sizing of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") and a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 II in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-500 versus the E-M1 II.

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

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and E-M1 II is 70 and 68 respectively.

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

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 II Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be hard to see the gap in sensor measurements only by checking out specifications. The photograph here will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and E-M1 II.

Plainly, the 2 cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Olympus E-M1 II to provide more detail having an extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

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

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

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1 II
48
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
sensor resolution low (8MP)
75
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography information
Olympus E-M1 II Street photography information
56
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than average in class (479g)
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
78
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
includes focus via touch
weather proofing
lighter than competition (574g)
above average high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-500
Sports photography with Olympus E-M1 II
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
doesn't have liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
74
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/32,000s)
high fps (60.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proofing
has phase detect auto focus
not so great battery pack (350 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography info
Olympus E-M1 II Travel photography info
52
lighter than average in class (479 grams)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse function
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
72
lighter than competition (574g)
weather proofing
includes focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
not so great battery pack (350 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-500
Landscape photography with Olympus E-M1 II
43
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
doesn't have liveview
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
low maximum ISO (400)
no Time Lapse function
76
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
does not have anti aliasing filter
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
two card slots
not so great battery pack (350 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-M1 II as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
79
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focus
video res high (4096 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone socket
lighter than competition (574 grams)
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-M1 II
 Olympus E-500Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-500 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Alternate name EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2005-10-21 2016-09-19
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - TruePic VIII
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.4 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 226.2mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Peak resolution 3264 x 2448 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 400 25600
Highest enhanced ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Min enhanced ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 3 121
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 215k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.74x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Max silent shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 60.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 9.10 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM, 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution None 4096x2160
Video format - MOV, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479 gr (1.06 lb) 574 gr (1.27 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 80
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.8
DXO Low light rating not tested 1312
Other
Battery life - 350 photos
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID - BLH-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 Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Card slots One 2
Pricing at release $600 $1,700