Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX580

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.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Panasonic FX580 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.