Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5

Below is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-500 (8MP) and the LX5 (10MP) is pretty comparable but the E-500 (Four Thirds) and LX5 (1/1.63") posses different sensor size.

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The E-500 was launched 7 years before the LX5 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic LX5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-500 scores against the LX5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Panasonic LX5 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 provides physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Panasonic LX5 has proportions of 110mm x 65mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-500 versus the LX5.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and LX5 is 70 and 88 respectively.

Generally, it is very difficult to picture the contrast in sensor measurements only by checking out technical specs. The visual here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and LX5.

As you have seen, the two cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-500 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic LX5 will provide extra detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older E-500 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.