Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic G5

Below is a detailed review of the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic G5, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and G5 (16MP) but both cameras offer the identical sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was revealed 7 years earlier than the G5 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic G5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-500 scores against the G5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Panasonic G5 Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 provides exterior measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Panasonic G5 has dimensions of 120mm x 83mm x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8") and a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic G5 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-500 versus the G5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and G5 is 70 and 74 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading through a spec sheet. The visual below may give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and G5.

Clearly, each of the cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit different megapixels. You should expect the Panasonic G5 to resolve more detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.