Olympus E-500 vs Olympus SP-820UZ

Here, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus SP-820UZ, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are designed by Olympus. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and SP-820UZ (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and SP-820UZ (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was manufactured 7 years before the SP-820UZ which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SP-820UZ being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a complete comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-500 matches up vs the SP-820UZ for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 and Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Olympus SP-820UZ Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 enjoys physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Olympus SP-820UZ has sizing of 117mm x 78mm x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") with a weight of 485 grams (1.07 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus SP-820UZ in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the E-500 compared to the SP-820UZ.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and SP-820UZ is 70 and 69 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to imagine the difference in sensor sizes purely by seeing specifications. The picture below will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and SP-820UZ.

To sum up, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-500 because of its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus SP-820UZ will produce greater detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.