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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
Portability
88
Imaging
53
Features
77
Overall
62

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Revealed October 2005
  • Additionally referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • Updated by Olympus E-510
Olympus E-PL6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Revealed August 2014
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-PL7
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6 Overview

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).

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Olympus E-PL6

 E-500 E-PL6 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Olympus E-500

 E-PL6 E-500 
RevealedAugust 2014October 2005More recent by 106 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k215kClearer screen (+245k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-PL6

 E-500 E-PL6 
Manually focus Very precise focus

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6 size comparison

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

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography advice
Olympus E-PL6 Portrait photography advice
48
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no liveview feature
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
71
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-500
Street photography with Olympus E-PL6
56
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lighter than others in class (479 grams)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
85
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
features focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus E-PL6 as a Sports photography camera
37
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-500
Travel photography with Olympus E-PL6
52
lighter than others in class (479g)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (8MP)
display is not selfie friendly
85
features focus by touch
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography details
Olympus E-PL6 Landscape photography details
43
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
maximum ISO low (400)
lack of Timelapse function
80
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging information
Olympus E-PL6 Vlogging information
9
no video
79
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
missing external microphone support
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-PL6 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-PL6
 Olympus E-500Olympus PEN E-PL6
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-500 Olympus PEN E-PL6
Also called EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2005-10-21 2014-08-01
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - TruePic VI
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 400 25600
Highest enhanced ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 3 35
Lens
Lens mount 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 diagonal 2.5" 3"
Resolution of display 215k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per sec 8.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 gr (1.06 lb) 325 gr (0.72 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 360 photographs
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $600 $300