Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL3

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL3, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are designed by Olympus. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and E-PL3 (12MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was released 6 years prior to the E-PL3 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-500 grades vs the E-PL3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 and Olympus PEN E-PL3. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Olympus E-PL3 Gallery.

For those who are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 features outer dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL3 has proportions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose during that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-500 vs the E-PL3.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and E-PL3 is 70 and 88 respectively.

Normally, it is tough to envision the gap in sensor dimensions purely by checking out a spec sheet. The image below might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and E-PL3.

As you can see, both of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same MP. You should expect to see the Olympus E-PL3 to provide more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.