Olympus E-500 vs Olympus SP-610UZ

The following is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus SP-610UZ, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both manufactured by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and SP-610UZ (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and SP-610UZ (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was introduced 6 years earlier than the SP-610UZ which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SP-610UZ being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-500 matches up versus the SP-610UZ with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 & Olympus SP-610UZ. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Olympus SP-610UZ Gallery.

If you're intending to travel with your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 offers outside dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Olympus SP-610UZ has dimensions of 107mm x 73mm x 73mm (4.2" x 2.9" x 2.9") with a weight of 405 grams (0.89 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus SP-610UZ in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-500 against the SP-610UZ.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and SP-610UZ is 70 and 79 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by reviewing technical specs. The picture underneath will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and SP-610UZ.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus SP-610UZ will offer extra detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.