Olympus E-500 vs Olympus 8000

Below, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus 8000, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. There is a sizeable difference among the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and 8000 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and 8000 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was launched 4 years earlier than the 8000 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus 8000 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-500 matches up against the 8000 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 and Olympus Stylus Tough 8000. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Olympus 8000 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-500 has got outside dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Olympus 8000 has measurements of 95mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") along with a weight of 182 grams (0.40 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-500 versus Olympus 8000 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have during that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-500 and the 8000.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and 8000 is 70 and 94 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to see the contrast in sensor measurements merely by going through specs. The visual underneath will help offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and 8000.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-500 because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus 8000 will show extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.