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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
31
Overall
35

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Push to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Revealed October 2005
  • Also referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-510
Panasonic FH5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 121g - 94 x 54 x 19mm
  • Launched January 2011
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-FS18
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5 Overview

On this page, we will be looking at the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FH5 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FH5 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-500 was manufactured 6 years earlier than the FH5 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-500 scores vs the FH5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic FH5

 E-500 FH5 
Manually focus Very precise focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH5 over the Olympus E-500

 FH5 E-500 
LaunchedJanuary 2011October 2005More recent by 63 months
Screen dimensions2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution230k215kClearer screen (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FH5

 E-500 FH5 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera, you need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 offers 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) while the Panasonic FH5 has proportions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

See the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at the time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-500 and the FH5.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and FH5 is 70 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its tough to see the contrast between sensor measurements merely by going over technical specs. The graphic here might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and FH5.

As you can tell, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-500 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic FH5 will offer more detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
Portrait photography with Panasonic FH5
48
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
does not have liveview
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
34
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
comes with face detect focusing
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-500
Street photography with Panasonic FH5
56
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (479 grams)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
67
has image stabilization (Optical)
features focus by touch
lighter than competition in class (121g)
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography features
Panasonic FH5 Sports photography features
37
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect AF
does not have liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FH5 Travel photography advice
52
lighter than competitors in class (479g)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse mode
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
71
lighter than competition in class (121 grams)
features focus by touch
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FH5 Landscape photography info
43
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
does not have liveview
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
low maximum ISO (400)
missing Timelapse mode
38
really wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FH5 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video shooting
33
really wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
lighter than competition in class (121g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic jack
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FH5
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5
Also called EVOLT E-500 Lumix DMC-FS18
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2005-10-21 2011-01-05
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Venus Engine IV
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 400 6400
Max boosted ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.1-6.5
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.5 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 215 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.30 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 grams (1.06 lbs) 121 grams (0.27 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 - 260 photographs
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $600 $169