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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2

Portability
70
Imaging
42
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Olympus PEN E-P2 front
Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2 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
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Successor is Olympus E-510
Olympus E-P2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Launched April 2010
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-P1
  • New Model is Olympus E-P3
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2 Overview

Below is a detailed analysis of the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are built by Olympus. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and E-P2 (12MP) but they feature the exact same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-500 was unveiled 5 years earlier than the E-P2 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a comprehensive comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the E-500 scores versus the E-P2 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-P2

 E-500 E-P2 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P2 over the Olympus E-500

 E-P2 E-500 
LaunchedApril 2010October 2005More recent by 54 months
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution230k215kClearer display (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-P2

 E-500 E-P2 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch display Neither features Touch display

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to lug around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 enjoys outer dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Olympus E-P2 has sizing of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs).

See the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-500 and the E-P2.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and E-P2 is 70 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to visualize the difference in sensor measurements only by seeing technical specs. The photograph underneath will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and E-P2.

As you can tell, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different MP. You can expect to see the Olympus E-P2 to show extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography advice
Olympus E-P2 Portrait photography advice
49
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
does not have liveview
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-500
Street photography with Olympus E-P2
57
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lighter than others in class (479g)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-500
Sports photography with Olympus E-P2
37
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
low fps (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
40
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
slow fps (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
terrible battery power (300 per charge)
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-P2 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than others in class (479g)
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
43
lack of Time Lapse recording
terrible battery power (300 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus E-P2 as a Landscape photography camera
43
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
small screen (2.5")
does not have liveview
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
low maximum ISO (400)
missing Time Lapse mode
60
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery power (300 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-500
Vlogging with Olympus E-P2
9
lack of video recording
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focusing
display is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of mic jack
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-P2
 Olympus E-500Olympus PEN E-P2
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-500 Olympus PEN E-P2
Other name EVOLT E-500 -
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2005-10-21 2010-04-22
Body design Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - TruePic V
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Maximum resolution 3264 x 2448 4032 x 3024
Maximum native ISO 400 6400
Maximum boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 215 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479g (1.06 lbs) 355g (0.78 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 56
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 10.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 505
Other
Battery life - 300 shots
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery ID - BLS-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC card
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $600 $799