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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P5

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Olympus PEN E-P5 front
Portability
85
Imaging
53
Features
76
Overall
62

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P5 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Boost to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
  • New Model is Olympus E-510
Olympus E-P5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 420g - 122 x 69 x 37mm
  • Launched October 2013
  • Replaced the Olympus E-P3
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P5 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus E-P5, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are created by Olympus. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and E-P5 (16MP) but they possess the same exact sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-500 was brought out 9 years before the E-P5 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a complete comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-500 scores against the E-P5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Olympus E-P5

 E-500 E-P5 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P5 over the Olympus E-500

 E-P5 E-500 
LaunchedOctober 2013October 2005More modern by 96 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k215kClearer screen (+822k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-P5

 E-500 E-P5 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P5 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry around your camera often, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 features outer measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-P5 has proportions of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus E-P5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-500 and the E-P5.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P5 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and E-P5 is 70 and 85 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P5 Sensor Comparison

Often, its tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes purely by going through specs. The picture below will provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and E-P5.

All in all, both the cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same MP. You can count on the Olympus E-P5 to produce extra detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography features
Olympus E-P5 Portrait photography features
48
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
doesn't have liveview
low megapixels (8MP)
71
manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/320s)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography factors
Olympus E-P5 Street photography factors
56
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
lighter than average (479g)
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
78
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
features touch focus
above average high ISO (25,600)
heavier than others (420 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography advice
Olympus E-P5 Sports photography advice
37
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
doesn't have liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (8MP)
68
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-P5 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than average (479 grams)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse mode
low megapixels (8MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
68
features touch focus
resolution is good (16MP)
flash built-in
heavier than others (420g)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography advice
Olympus E-P5 Landscape photography advice
43
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
small screen (2.5")
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
low max ISO (400)
lack of Timelapse mode
79
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging features
Olympus E-P5 Vlogging features
9
no video
33
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
no external mic socket
heavier than others (420g)
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-P5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-P5
 Olympus E-500Olympus PEN E-P5
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-500 Olympus PEN E-P5
Also called EVOLT E-500 -
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2005-10-21 2013-10-03
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Full resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 400 25600
Max boosted ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 35
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 215k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology - 3:2 LCD capacitive touchscreen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 9.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 7.00 m (ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (1st or 2nd curtain), Manual (1/1 - 1/64)
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180s 1/320s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479 grams (1.06 lb) 420 grams (0.93 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 122 x 69 x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 72
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 895
Other
Battery life - 330 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $600 $389