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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH5S

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S front
Portability
62
Imaging
50
Features
82
Overall
62

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH5S Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Released October 2005
  • Additionally referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • Renewed by Olympus E-510
Panasonic GH5S
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 660g - 139 x 98 x 87mm
  • Launched January 2018
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH5S Overview

Here is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic GH5S, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-500 (8MP) and the GH5S (10MP) is very comparable and both cameras offer the same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-500 was introduced 13 years before the GH5S and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic GH5S being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-500 matches up vs the GH5S with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic GH5S

 E-500 GH5S 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH5S over the Olympus E-500

 GH5S E-500 
LaunchedJanuary 2018October 2005Fresher by 148 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3.2"2.5"Larger display (+0.7")
Display resolution1620k215kClearer display (+1405k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic GH5S

 E-500 GH5S 
Manual focus More accurate focus

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH5S Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 features outer measurements 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 Panasonic GH5S has sizing of 139mm x 98mm x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4") with a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic GH5S in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-500 versus the GH5S.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH5S size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and GH5S is 70 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH5S top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH5S Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizing merely by seeing specs. The graphic underneath may offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and GH5S.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different megapixels. You can expect to see the Panasonic GH5S to produce extra detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH5S sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH5S Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH5S Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
Portrait photography with Panasonic GH5S
48
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no liveview feature
sensor resolution low (8MP)
62
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
sensor resolution low (10MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GH5S as a Street photography camera
56
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition (479g)
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
68
fully articulated screen
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
offers touch to focus
weather proof
great ISO range (51,200)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography details
Panasonic GH5S Sports photography details
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
no liveview feature
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
56
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
does not have phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography details
Panasonic GH5S Travel photography details
52
lighter than competition (479g)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
61
weather proof
has bluetooth
offers touch to focus
screen is selfie friendly
missing Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic GH5S as a Landscape photography camera
43
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is small (2.5")
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
low max ISO (400)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
63
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2 inches)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
does not have anti aliasing filter
great ISO range (51,200)
supports RAW files
weather proof
2 card slots
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic GH5S Vlogging highlights
9
can't record video
68
screen is selfie friendly
screen is touchscreen
supports face detection autofocus
high res video (4096 x 2160 resolution)
includes external microphone support
no image stabilization
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH5S Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic GH5S
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S
Also Known as EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Released 2005-10-21 2018-01-08
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Venus Engine 10
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3264 x 2448 3680 x 2760
Max native ISO 400 51200
Max enhanced ISO 1600 204800
Minimum native ISO 100 160
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 3 225
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 2.5 inches 3.2 inches
Screen resolution 215k dots 1,620k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,680k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.76x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Max silent shutter speed - 1/16000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution None 4096x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264, H.265
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 gr (1.06 pounds) 660 gr (1.46 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 139 x 98 x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 440 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - DMW-BLF19
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 10 secs w/3 images)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC cards (UHS-II V60 cards supported)
Card slots 1 Two
Launch pricing $600 $2,498