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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic G3

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 front
Portability
83
Imaging
51
Features
62
Overall
55

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic G3 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Boost to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Revealed October 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Replacement is Olympus E-510
Panasonic G3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 336g - 115 x 84 x 47mm
  • Released July 2011
  • Superseded the Panasonic G2
  • Replacement is Panasonic G5
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic G3 Overview

Here is a extended review of the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic G3, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and G3 (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-500 was announced 6 years prior to the G3 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-500 matches up versus the G3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic G3

 E-500 G3 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Olympus E-500

 G3 E-500 
ReleasedJuly 2011October 2005Fresher by 69 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k215kCrisper display (+245k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic G3

 E-500 G3 
Manual focus Very accurate focus

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic G3 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 provides outer dimensions 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 G3 has proportions of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") having a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic G3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-500 compared to the G3.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic G3 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and G3 is 70 and 83 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic G3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic G3 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to visualise the difference between sensor sizing simply by looking at a spec sheet. The visual here should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and G3.

Clearly, each of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You can anticipate the Panasonic G3 to resolve more detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos much more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic G3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic G3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic G3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
Portrait photography with Panasonic G3
48
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
does not have liveview
sensor resolution low (8MP)
70
manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography details
Panasonic G3 Street photography details
56
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than average (479g)
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
75
screen can move to multiple angles
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
features focus by touch
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography information
Panasonic G3 Sports photography information
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
max frames per second low (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
46
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery power (270 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography features
Panasonic G3 Travel photography features
52
lighter than average (479g)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
70
features focus by touch
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
lack of Time Lapse recording
not so great battery power (270 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic G3 as a Landscape photography camera
43
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
small screen (2.5 inches)
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
does not have Timelapse function
62
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery power (270 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging features
Panasonic G3 Vlogging features
9
no video recording
70
selfie friendly display
touch screen
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of image stabilization
lack of external mic jack
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic G3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic G3
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
Otherwise known as EVOLT E-500 -
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2005-10-21 2011-07-11
Body design Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3264 x 2448 4592 x 3448
Highest native ISO 400 6400
Highest boosted ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 160
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 215 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 11.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps))
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479 grams (1.06 pounds) 336 grams (0.74 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 115 x 84 x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 56
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 10.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 667
Other
Battery life - 270 pictures
Style of battery - Battery Pack
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/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $600 $500