Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-310
70 Imaging
41 Features
34 Overall
38


94 Imaging
37 Features
33 Overall
35
Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-310 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 400 (Expand to 1600)
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
- Launched October 2005
- Additionally Known as EVOLT E-500
- Replacement is Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 1600
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-102mm (F3.9-5.9) lens
- 155g - 96 x 63 x 23mm
- Released January 2011

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-310 Overview
Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-310, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Waterproof and they are both offered by Olympus. There is a sizeable difference among the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and TG-310 (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and TG-310 (1/2.3") boast different sensor measurements.

The E-500 was launched 6 years prior to the TG-310 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus TG-310 being a Compact camera.
Before we go straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-500 grades vs the TG-310 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-310 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-500 and Olympus TG-310. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Olympus TG-310 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Olympus TG-310
E-500 | TG-310 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very accurate focusing |
Reasons to pick Olympus TG-310 over the Olympus E-500
TG-310 | E-500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | January 2011 | ![]() | October 2005 | More modern by 63 months |
Display dimensions | 2.7" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.2") |
Display resolution | 230k | ![]() | 215k | Clearer display (+15k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Olympus TG-310
E-500 | TG-310 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither includes selfie screen | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Neither includes Touch display |
Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-310 Physical Comparison
If you're aiming to carry around your camera, you need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 features outside measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Olympus TG-310 has dimensions of 96mm x 63mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9") having a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-310 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-500 compared to the TG-310.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and TG-310 is 70 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-310 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it's hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizes just by looking through specifications. The image underneath will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and TG-310.
Plainly, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-500 featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh easier and the Olympus TG-310 will render greater detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-310 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-310 Specifications
Olympus E-500 | Olympus TG-310 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Olympus |
Model type | Olympus E-500 | Olympus TG-310 |
Also called as | EVOLT E-500 | - |
Class | Advanced DSLR | Waterproof |
Launched | 2005-10-21 | 2011-01-06 |
Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | - | TruePic III+ |
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 8 megapixels | 14 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | - |
Full resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 4288 x 3216 |
Max native ISO | 400 | 1600 |
Max boosted ISO | 1600 | - |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 3 | - |
Cross type focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 28-102mm (3.6x) |
Max aperture | - | f/3.9-5.9 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 3cm |
Number of lenses | 45 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 2.5 inches | 2.7 inches |
Resolution of screen | 215 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Screen technology | - | TFT Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.45x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 4s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shooting rate | 3.0 frames per sec | 1.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) | 4.20 m |
Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash synchronize | 1/180s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) |
Max video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
Video data format | - | Motion JPEG |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 479g (1.06 lb) | 155g (0.34 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") | 96 x 63 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 150 shots |
Battery style | - | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | LI-42B |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Price at launch | $600 | $0 |