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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
54
Overall
50

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Revealed October 2005
  • Also referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-510
Panasonic GF5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 267g - 108 x 67 x 37mm
  • Announced April 2012
  • Replaced the Panasonic GF3
  • New Model is Panasonic GF6
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5 Overview

Following is a extensive analysis of the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and GF5 (12MP) but both cameras boast the identical sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-500 was manufactured 7 years before the GF5 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic GF5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-500 matches up versus the GF5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic GF5

 E-500 GF5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF5 over the Olympus E-500

 GF5 E-500 
AnnouncedApril 2012October 2005More modern by 78 months
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution920k215kCrisper screen (+705k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic GF5

 E-500 GF5 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry around your camera, you need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 offers 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 GF5 has proportions of 108mm x 67mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 267 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-500 against the GF5.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and GF5 is 70 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to imagine the difference between sensor sizes merely by reviewing a spec sheet. The picture below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and GF5.

As you can see, both cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit different MP. You should expect the Panasonic GF5 to offer extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography details
Panasonic GF5 Portrait photography details
48
you can focus manually
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no liveview
megapixel count low (8MP)
55
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
cannot use external flash
MP count low (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-500
Street photography with Panasonic GF5
56
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lighter than competition (479 grams)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
max ISO too low (400)
70
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
provides touch focus
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography advice
Panasonic GF5 Sports photography advice
37
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
no liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (8MP)
40
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography information
Panasonic GF5 Travel photography information
52
lighter than competition (479g)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (8MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
61
provides touch focus
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-500
Landscape photography with Panasonic GF5
43
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
no liveview
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (8MP)
max ISO too low (400)
missing Time Lapse recording
59
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
lack of Time Lapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic GF5 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
32
built-in touchscreen
supports face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
lack of external mic port
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic GF5
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5
Otherwise known as EVOLT E-500 -
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2005-10-21 2012-04-05
Body design Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-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 area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3264 x 2448 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 400 12800
Maximum boosted ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 160
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 215k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.30 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 grams (1.06 lb) 267 grams (0.59 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 108 x 67 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 50
DXO Color Depth score not tested 20.5
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 10.0
DXO Low light score not tested 573
Other
Battery life - 360 images
Battery form - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $600 $600