Olympus E-500 vs Olympus SH-2

Below, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-500 and Olympus SH-2, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Olympus. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and SH-2 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and SH-2 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The E-500 was brought out 10 years earlier than the SH-2 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-500 matches up versus the SH-2 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 & Olympus Stylus SH-2. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Olympus SH-2 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 has physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Olympus SH-2 has dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 and Olympus SH-2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the E-500 and the SH-2.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and SH-2 is 70 and 88 respectively.

Generally, it is hard to picture the contrast between sensor measurements purely by checking a spec sheet. The visual here might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and SH-2.

Clearly, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-500 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus SH-2 will give greater detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.