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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP7

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP7 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP7 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Increase to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Also Known as EVOLT E-500
  • Renewed by Olympus E-510
Panasonic FP7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 147g - 101 x 59 x 18mm
  • Launched January 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP7 Overview

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FP7, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FP7 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FP7 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor size.

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The E-500 was revealed 6 years before the FP7 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FP7 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight to a thorough comparison, here is a short view of how the E-500 grades against the FP7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic FP7

 E-500 FP7 
Manual focus Very exact focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP7 over the Olympus E-500

 FP7 E-500 
LaunchedJanuary 2011October 2005Newer by 63 months
Display size3.5"2.5"Larger display (+1")
Display resolution230k215kSharper display (+15k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FP7

 E-500 FP7 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP7 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to travel with your camera often, you have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 has got physical measurements 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 FP7 has dimensions of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") with a weight of 147 grams (0.32 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FP7 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-500 and the FP7.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP7 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and FP7 is 70 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP7 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to see the difference between sensor dimensions merely by going over technical specs. The pic here will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and FP7.

As you have seen, both of those cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic FP7 will offer more detail because of its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images way more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic FP7 Portrait photography highlights
48
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
does not have liveview
MP count low (8MP)
34
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
includes face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
no manual exposure
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography advice
Panasonic FP7 Street photography advice
56
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competitors (479g)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
60
image stabilization (Optical)
provides touch to focus
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
heavier than competition in class (147g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography information
Panasonic FP7 Sports photography information
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
slow frames per second (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
44
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
includes tracking autofocus
great battery (240 shots)
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic FP7 Travel photography highlights
52
lighter than competitors (479 grams)
flash built-in
does not have Time Lapse recording
MP count low (8 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
63
great battery (240 CIPA)
provides touch to focus
resolution is good (16MP)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition in class (147g)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FP7 as a Landscape photography camera
43
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5")
does not have liveview
no image stabilization
MP count low (8MP)
low maximum ISO (400)
does not have Time Lapse recording
41
lovely big screen (3.5 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
great battery (240 CIPA)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging information
Panasonic FP7 Vlogging information
9
lack of video recording
29
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection autofocus
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external mic jack
heavier than competition in class (147 grams)
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FP7
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP7
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP7
Otherwise known as EVOLT E-500 -
Type Advanced DSLR Ultracompact
Introduced 2005-10-21 2011-01-05
Body design Mid-size SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
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 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias 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 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 10cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5 inch 3.5 inch
Display resolution 215 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology - TFT Touch Screen LCD
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 per second 4.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.90 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479g (1.06 lb) 147g (0.32 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 101 x 59 x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7")
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 - 240 pictures
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $600 $227