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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FS7

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FS7 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
  • Alternate Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-510
Panasonic FS7
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Raise to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 139g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Announced January 2009
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FS7 Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic FS7, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-500 (8MP) and the FS7 (10MP) is very close but the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FS7 (1/2.5") use different sensor sizes.

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The E-500 was manufactured 4 years before the FS7 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FS7 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting through a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summation of how the E-500 matches up vs the FS7 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic FS7

 E-500 FS7 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS7 over the Olympus E-500

 FS7 E-500 
AnnouncedJanuary 2009October 2005Newer by 39 months
Display dimension2.7"2.5"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution230k215kCrisper display (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FS7

 E-500 FS7 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FS7 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 features external 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 FS7 has specifications of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 139 grams (0.31 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic FS7 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select during that time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-500 and the FS7.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FS7 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and FS7 is 70 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FS7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FS7 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions purely by viewing specs. The picture here will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and FS7.

As you can plainly see, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic FS7 will provide you with extra detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FS7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FS7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FS7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FS7 Portrait photography advice
48
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no liveview
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
19
manual focus not available
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.5")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography factors
Panasonic FS7 Street photography factors
56
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
lighter than competition in class (479 grams)
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.5")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FS7 as a Sports photography camera
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect AF
no liveview
slow frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
24
built in image stabilization (Optical)
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.5")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography info
Panasonic FS7 Travel photography info
52
lighter than competition in class (479 grams)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
51
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic FS7 Landscape photography advice
43
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is small (2.5")
no liveview
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
low maximum ISO (400)
no Time Lapse mode
27
built in image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not available
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.5")
lack of RAW files
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-500
Vlogging with Panasonic FS7
9
no video
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low quality video (640 x 480 pixels)
no external microphone port
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FS7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FS7
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7
Other name EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Ultracompact
Revealed 2005-10-21 2009-01-16
Body design Mid-size SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.5"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Highest resolution 3264 x 2448 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 400 1600
Highest boosted ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 6.3
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.5 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 215k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 640x480
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 lb) 139 grams (0.31 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9")
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
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/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $600 $160