Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are offered by Olympus. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and E-PL6 (16MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor size (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was revealed 9 years before the E-PL6 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a in depth comparison, here is a short view of how the E-500 scores vs the E-PL6 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 & Olympus PEN E-PL6. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Olympus E-PL6 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 comes with external dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PL6 has proportions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-500 versus the E-PL6.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and E-PL6 is 70 and 88 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very tough to envision the difference in sensor measurements just by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic below may give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and E-PL6.

As you can see, both the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same megapixels. You can count on the Olympus E-PL6 to provide more detail because of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will let you crop shots more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.