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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ80

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 front
Portability
63
Imaging
44
Features
62
Overall
51

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ80 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Bump to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Revealed October 2005
  • Additionally referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-510
Panasonic FZ80
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 20-1200mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 616g - 130 x 94 x 119mm
  • Launched January 2017
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-FZ82
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ80 Overview

Below, we are looking at the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FZ80, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FZ80 (18MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FZ80 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-500 was launched 12 years earlier than the FZ80 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going through a in depth comparison, below is a short view of how the E-500 scores vs the FZ80 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic FZ80

 E-500 FZ80 

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ80 over the Olympus E-500

 FZ80 E-500 
LaunchedJanuary 2017October 2005Fresher by 136 months
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1040k215kClearer display (+825k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FZ80

 E-500 FZ80 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ80 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera often, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 features outer measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Panasonic FZ80 has dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") and a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FZ80 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-500 vs the FZ80.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ80 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and FZ80 is 70 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ80 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ80 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to envision the difference between sensor sizing merely by looking at specs. The visual below should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and FZ80.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-500 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic FZ80 will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop images much more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ80 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ80 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ80 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
Portrait photography with Panasonic FZ80
48
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
MP count low (8 megapixels)
58
focusing manually
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
comes with face detect focus
exports RAW files
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography info
Panasonic FZ80 Street photography info
56
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
lighter than competition (479 grams)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
54
has image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW files
boasts touch focus
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
more heavy than others in class (616g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FZ80 as a Sports photography camera
37
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
slow frames per second (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (8MP)
57
incredible zoom range (20-1200mm 60.0 x zoom)
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography details
Panasonic FZ80 Travel photography details
52
lighter than competition (479 grams)
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse mode
MP count low (8MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
59
boasts touch focus
good megapixels (18MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (20mm)
long zoom (1200mm)
more heavy than others in class (616 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-500
Landscape photography with Panasonic FZ80
43
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.5 inch)
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
maximum ISO low (400)
does not have Timelapse mode
57
focusing manually
quite wide (20mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18MP)
exports RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging information
Panasonic FZ80 Vlogging information
9
no video
28
quite wide (20mm)
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
no microphone support
more heavy than others in class (616 grams)
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ80 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FZ80
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80
Also called as EVOLT E-500 Lumix DMC-FZ82
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2005-10-21 2017-01-04
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor - Venus Engine
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Full resolution 3264 x 2448 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 400 3200
Max boosted ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 49
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 20-1200mm (60.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 215k dots 1,040k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,166k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.46x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/16000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 14.10 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, 1st Curtain Sync, 2nd Curtain Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC
Max video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479g (1.06 pounds) 616g (1.36 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 130 x 94 x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7")
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
Battery life - 330 photographs
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3 images x 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $600 $399