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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1X

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1X front
Portability
54
Imaging
61
Features
93
Overall
73

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1X 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
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Also referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • Replacement is Olympus E-510
Olympus E-M1X
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 997g - 144 x 147 x 75mm
  • Revealed January 2019
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M1 II
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1X Overview

Following is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus E-M1X, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and E-M1X (20MP) but they use the same exact sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-500 was released 14 years earlier than the E-M1X which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-M1X being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-500 scores versus the E-M1X in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Olympus E-M1X

 E-500 E-M1X 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1X over the Olympus E-500

 E-M1X E-500 
RevealedJanuary 2019October 2005More modern by 161 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k215kSharper screen (+822k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-M1X

 E-500 E-M1X 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1X Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 has got physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Olympus E-M1X has sizing of 144mm x 147mm x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") with a weight of 997 grams (2.20 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus E-M1X in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are using at that time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-500 versus the E-M1X.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1X size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and E-M1X is 70 and 54 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1X top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1X Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes only by seeing specs. The pic below may give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and E-M1X.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same resolution. You should count on the Olympus E-M1X to show extra detail as a result of its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1X sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1X Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1X Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography highlights
Olympus E-M1X Portrait photography highlights
48
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no liveview
megapixel count low (8 megapixels)
76
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Street photography camera
Olympus E-M1X as a Street photography camera
56
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lighter than average (479g)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
67
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
has focus by touch
environment proofing
very good high ISO (25,600)
more heavy than competition (997 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography info
Olympus E-M1X Sports photography info
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect autofocus
no liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (8MP)
80
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
high fps (60.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
great battery life (870 per charge)
has phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography details
Olympus E-M1X Travel photography details
52
lighter than average (479 grams)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (8 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
68
great battery life (870 per charge)
environment proofing
connects via bluetooth
has focus by touch
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
more heavy than competition (997 grams)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography details
Olympus E-M1X Landscape photography details
43
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
lack of Time Lapse function
79
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
great battery life (870 per charge)
has double storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-M1X as a Vlogging camera
9
no video shooting
68
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focus
high video quality (4096 x 2160 resolution)
has external microphone port
more heavy than competition (997g)
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M1X Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-M1X
 Olympus E-500Olympus OM-D E-M1X
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-500 Olympus OM-D E-M1X
Also referred to as EVOLT E-500 -
Category Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2005-10-21 2019-01-24
Body design Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Dual 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 8MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Highest Possible resolution 3264 x 2448 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 400 25600
Maximum enhanced ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 3 121
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 215 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 60.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash settings 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
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution None 4096x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes (USB-PD allows charging by laptop or external power bank)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 grams (1.06 pounds) 997 grams (2.20 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 144 x 147 x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 870 shots
Type of battery - Built-in
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card -
Storage slots Single Dual
Pricing at release $600 $2,999