Olympus E-500 vs Olympus PEN-F
70 Imaging
41 Features
34 Overall
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84 Imaging
58 Features
79 Overall
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus PEN-F Key Specs
(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
- Released October 2005
- Also Known as EVOLT E-500
- Successor is Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
- Introduced January 2016
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On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus PEN-F, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and PEN-F (20MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthThe E-500 was released 11 years before the PEN-F which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before getting into a in depth comparison, here is a short view of how the E-500 matches up against the PEN-F in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
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Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 and Olympus PEN-F. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Olympus PEN-F Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Olympus PEN-F
| E-500 | PEN-F |
|---|
Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Olympus E-500
| PEN-F | E-500 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | January 2016 | October 2005 | Newer by 125 months | |
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen | |
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") | |
| Screen resolution | 1037k | 215k | Clearer screen (+822k dot) | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies | |||
| Touch screen | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Olympus PEN-F
| E-500 | PEN-F | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus | More precise focusing |
Olympus E-500 vs Olympus PEN-F Physical Comparison
When you are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 features physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Olympus PEN-F has dimensions of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus PEN-F in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-500 against the PEN-F.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and PEN-F is 70 and 84 respectively.
Olympus E-500 vs Olympus PEN-F Sensor Comparison
Typically, it's hard to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions just by viewing technical specs. The picture below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and PEN-F.
As you can tell, both of those cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different megapixels. You should count on the Olympus PEN-F to render more detail as a result of its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.
Olympus E-500 vs Olympus PEN-F Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus PEN-F Specifications
| Olympus E-500 | Olympus PEN-F | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Manufacturer | Olympus | Olympus |
| Model type | Olympus E-500 | Olympus PEN-F |
| Also referred to as | EVOLT E-500 | - |
| Class | Advanced DSLR | Advanced Mirrorless |
| Released | 2005-10-21 | 2016-01-27 |
| Body design | Mid-size SLR | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | - | TruePic VII |
| Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | Four Thirds |
| Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 17.3 x 13mm |
| Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 224.9mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 8MP | 20MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 5184 x 3888 |
| Highest native ISO | 400 | 25600 |
| Highest boosted ISO | 1600 | - |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 200 |
| RAW support | ||
| Lowest boosted ISO | - | 80 |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Tracking autofocus | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detect autofocus | ||
| Contract detect autofocus | ||
| Phase detect autofocus | ||
| Total focus points | 3 | 81 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds |
| Total lenses | 45 | 107 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
| Display diagonal | 2.5 inch | 3 inch |
| Display resolution | 215 thousand dot | 1,037 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch capability | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | Electronic |
| Viewfinder resolution | - | 2,360 thousand dot |
| Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.45x | 0.62x |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 60 secs |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/8000 secs |
| Highest quiet shutter speed | - | 1/16000 secs |
| Continuous shooting speed | 3.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Change white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) | no built-in flash |
| Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) |
| External flash | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | 1/180 secs | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) |
| Highest video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
| Video data format | - | MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG |
| Microphone input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| 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 | ||
| Environmental seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 479g (1.06 lbs) | 427g (0.94 lbs) |
| Physical dimensions | 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") | 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | not tested | 74 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 23.1 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 12.4 |
| DXO Low light rating | not tested | 894 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | - | 330 shots |
| Type of battery | - | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | - | BLN-1 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Storage slots | Single | Single |
| Retail price | $600 | $1,000 |