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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Announced October 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-510
Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Introduced April 2012
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 II
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 Overview

Following is a extensive analysis of the Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-M5, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless and both are designed by Olympus. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and E-M5 (16MP) but they come with the exact same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-500 was released 7 years before the E-M5 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-500 grades vs the E-M5 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Olympus E-M5

 E-500 E-M5 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Olympus E-500

 E-M5 E-500 
IntroducedApril 2012October 2005More modern by 79 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution610k215kClearer display (+395k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-M5

 E-500 E-M5 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 offers external measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Olympus E-M5 has specifications of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-M5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the E-500 versus the E-M5.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and E-M5 is 70 and 81 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reading specs. The image below will give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and E-M5.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different megapixels. You can anticipate the Olympus E-M5 to deliver extra detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography advice
Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography advice
48
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no liveview
megapixel count low (8MP)
71
focusing manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography information
Olympus E-M5 Street photography information
56
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
lighter than competitors (479 grams)
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
82
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
supports touch to focus
weather sealing
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography features
Olympus E-M5 Sports photography features
37
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
no liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (8 megapixels)
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
weather sealing
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than competitors (479 grams)
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
megapixel count low (8 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
66
weather sealing
supports touch to focus
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography highlights
43
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
no liveview
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
doesn't have Timelapse function
73
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging info
Olympus E-M5 Vlogging info
9
no video
34
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of external microphone port
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-M5
 Olympus E-500Olympus OM-D E-M5
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-500 Olympus OM-D E-M5
Also called EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2005-10-21 2012-04-30
Body design Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - TruePic VI
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor 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
Highest resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 400 25600
Highest boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Minimum boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 35
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 215k dot 610k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.58x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 9.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels)
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 gr (1.06 lbs) 425 gr (0.94 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 71
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.3
DXO Low light score not tested 826
Other
Battery life - 360 photographs
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $600 $799