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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 III

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 III 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
  • Released October 2005
  • Alternate Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Replacement is Olympus E-510
Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Launched October 2019
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M5 II
  • Refreshed by OM System OM-5
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 III Overview

Here is a complete analysis of the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus E-M5 III, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless and they are both built by Olympus. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and E-M5 III (20MP) but they possess the same exact sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-500 was manufactured 15 years before the E-M5 III and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-500 matches up against the E-M5 III for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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

 E-500 E-M5 III 

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

 E-M5 III E-500 
LaunchedOctober 2019October 2005Fresher by 170 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1040k215kCrisper display (+825k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

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

 E-500 E-M5 III 
Focus manually More accurate focusing

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 III Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry your camera frequently, you will need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 has got outside measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-M5 III has proportions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus E-M5 III in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-500 against the E-M5 III.

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

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and E-M5 III is 70 and 80 respectively.

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

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 III Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizing simply by going through specs. The photograph underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and E-M5 III.

All in all, both the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but different megapixels. You can expect to see the Olympus E-M5 III to show greater detail due to its extra 12MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics far more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

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

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

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus E-M5 III as a Portrait photography camera
48
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no liveview
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
77
has manual focus
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Street photography camera
Olympus E-M5 III as a Street photography camera
56
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (479g)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
83
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
offers focus via touch
weather proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography details
Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography details
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
high frames per second (30.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
bad battery power (310 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography details
Olympus E-M5 III Travel photography details
52
lighter than competition in class (479 grams)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse function
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
77
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
offers focus via touch
resolution is good (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
bad battery power (310 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus E-M5 III as a Landscape photography camera
43
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5")
no liveview
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
low maximum ISO (400)
does not have Timelapse function
77
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
bad battery power (310 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-500
Vlogging with Olympus E-M5 III
9
lack of video recording
84
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focus
good video quality (4096 x 2160 pixels)
includes external mic port
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-M5 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-M5 III
 Olympus E-500Olympus OM-D E-M5 III
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 III
Also referred to as EVOLT E-500 -
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2005-10-21 2019-10-17
Body design Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - TruePic VIII
Sensor type CCD MOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.4 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 226.2mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3264 x 2448 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 400 25600
Highest boosted ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Lowest boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 121
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 2.5" 3"
Resolution of display 215 thousand dot 1,040 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.68x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 30.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs 1/250 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
Highest video resolution None 4096x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479g (1.06 pounds) 414g (0.91 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 life - 310 images
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported)
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $600 $1,199