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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX580

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
29
Overall
32

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX580 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Expand to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Revealed October 2005
  • Alternate Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-510
Panasonic FX580
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Bump to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 167g - 95 x 57 x 22mm
  • Announced January 2009
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-FX550
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX580 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic FX580, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FX580 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FX580 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-500 was manufactured 4 years prior to the FX580 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FX580 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a thorough comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-500 matches up against the FX580 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic FX580

 E-500 FX580 
Manual focus More exact focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX580 over the Olympus E-500

 FX580 E-500 
AnnouncedJanuary 2009October 2005Newer by 39 months
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution230k215kCrisper display (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FX580

 E-500 FX580 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX580 Physical Comparison

If you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 provides external measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Panasonic FX580 has dimensions of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic FX580 in the all 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 are using at that moment. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-500 and the FX580.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX580 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and FX580 is 70 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX580 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX580 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be difficult to envision the difference in sensor dimensions simply by researching specifications. The picture here will help give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and FX580.

To sum up, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 featuring a larger sensor will make achieving bokeh easier and the Panasonic FX580 will result in more detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX580 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX580 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX580 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
Portrait photography with Panasonic FX580
48
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
26
provides face detect focus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography details
Panasonic FX580 Street photography details
56
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lighter than average in class (479g)
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
56
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FX580 as a Sports photography camera
37
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
27
image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-500
Travel photography with Panasonic FX580
52
lighter than average in class (479 grams)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
58
has built in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
no Timelapse recording
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-500
Landscape photography with Panasonic FX580
43
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
small screen (2.5 inch)
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
no Time Lapse recording
36
fairly wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-500
Vlogging with Panasonic FX580
9
no video
30
fairly wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focus
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
no microphone socket
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX580 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FX580
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580
Also referred to as EVOLT E-500 Lumix DMC-FX550
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2005-10-21 2009-01-27
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Max resolution 3264 x 2448 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 400 1600
Max enhanced ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.5 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 215k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.00 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479g (1.06 lbs) 167g (0.37 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 95 x 57 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $600 $499