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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF8

Portability
70
Imaging
42
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 front
Portability
90
Imaging
54
Features
62
Overall
57

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF8 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Push to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Also referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • Replacement is Olympus E-510
Panasonic GF8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 266g - 107 x 65 x 33mm
  • Revealed February 2016
  • Older Model is Panasonic GF7
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF8 Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic GF8, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and GF8 (16MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-500 was introduced 11 years prior to the GF8 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic GF8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-500 scores against the GF8 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic GF8

 E-500 GF8 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF8 over the Olympus E-500

 GF8 E-500 
RevealedFebruary 2016October 2005Fresher by 125 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1040k215kSharper display (+825k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic GF8

 E-500 GF8 
Manual focus Dial precise focus
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF8 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 enjoys outer dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Panasonic GF8 has sizing of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") and a weight of 266 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic GF8 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the E-500 compared to the GF8.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF8 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and GF8 is 70 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF8 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very tough to picture the contrast in sensor sizing just by checking out specs. The photograph underneath should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and GF8.

All in all, both of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different megapixels. You can expect to see the Panasonic GF8 to show more detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older E-500 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF8 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic GF8 Portrait photography factors
49
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
does not have liveview
low resolution (8 megapixels)
65
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GF8 as a Street photography camera
57
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
lighter than others in class (479 grams)
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
80
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
supports touch focus
good ISO range (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-500
Sports photography with Panasonic GF8
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (8 megapixels)
49
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
low maximum shutter speed (1/500 seconds)
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.8 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery (230 shots)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography information
Panasonic GF8 Travel photography information
52
lighter than others in class (479g)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse recording
low resolution (8MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
66
supports touch focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery (230 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic GF8 Landscape photography advice
43
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is small (2.5")
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (8MP)
maximum ISO low (400)
missing Timelapse recording
65
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery (230 per charge)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-500
Vlogging with Panasonic GF8
9
no video shooting
33
touchscreen enabled
supports face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
lack of external microphone jack
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GF8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic GF8
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8
Also referred to as EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2005-10-21 2016-02-15
Body design Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3264 x 2448 4592 x 3448
Maximum native ISO 400 25600
Maximum boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 215 thousand dot 1,040 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/500 seconds
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/16000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 5.8fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.60 m (at ISO 200)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on, flash on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, flash off
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 50p, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p, 25p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 grams (1.06 pounds) 266 grams (0.59 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 107 x 65 x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3")
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 - 230 pictures
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3-shot/10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $600 $549