Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH3

Here is a complete analysis of the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH3, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and GH3 (16MP) but they come with the same exact sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-500 was introduced 8 years before the GH3 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-500 matches up versus the GH3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Panasonic GH3 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry your camera, you need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 offers external 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 GH3 has specifications of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") along with a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic GH3 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-500 and the GH3.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and GH3 is 70 and 66 respectively.

Typically, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizing merely by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic below should give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and GH3.

As you can see, both cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You should expect the Panasonic GH3 to give greater detail using its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind in sensor technology.