Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH1

Its time to examine more closely at the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic GH1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and GH1 (12MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-500 was revealed 4 years earlier than the GH1 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic GH1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-500 grades vs the GH1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Panasonic GH1 Gallery.

If you're aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-500 offers outer measurements 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 GH1 has measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic GH1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-500 against the GH1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and GH1 is 70 and 81 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to envision the contrast between sensor measurements merely by checking specifications. The graphic here will provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and GH1.

Plainly, the two cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Panasonic GH1 to give you greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures much more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.