Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ200

Below, we will be matching up the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FZ200, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FZ200 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FZ200 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-500 was announced 7 years before the FZ200 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FZ200 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-500 grades vs the FZ200 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Panasonic FZ200 Gallery.

For those who are intending to travel with your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 features exterior measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ200 has proportions of 125mm x 87mm x 110mm (4.9" x 3.4" x 4.3") with a weight of 588 grams (1.30 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FZ200 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the E-500 against the FZ200.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and FZ200 is 70 and 65 respectively.

Sometimes, it is difficult to see the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by reviewing a spec sheet. The image below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and FZ200.

Clearly, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic FZ200 will offer more detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.