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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 front
Portability
88
Imaging
35
Features
44
Overall
38

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5 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
  • Launched October 2005
  • Additionally referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • New Model is Olympus E-510
Panasonic LX5
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-90mm (F2.0-3.3) lens
  • 271g - 110 x 65 x 43mm
  • Launched December 2011
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic LX3
  • New Model is Panasonic LX7
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic LX5

 E-500 LX5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic LX5 over the Olympus E-500

 LX5 E-500 
LaunchedDecember 2011October 2005More recent by 74 months
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k215kSharper screen (+245k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic LX5

 E-500 LX5 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5 size comparison

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

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic LX5 Portrait photography advice
48
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
MP count low (8 megapixels)
41
you can focus manually
delivers RAW files
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor is small (1/1.63")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography highlights
Panasonic LX5 Street photography highlights
56
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than others (479 grams)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
59
built in image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW files
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/1.63")
heavier than competition in class (271g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic LX5 as a Sports photography camera
37
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect AF
no liveview feature
low frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
27
built in image stabilization (Optical)
slow frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/1.63")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography factors
Panasonic LX5 Travel photography factors
52
lighter than others (479 grams)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
MP count low (8MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
59
flash built-in
decently wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
does not have Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition in class (271g)
low megapixels (10MP)
does not offer selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic LX5 Landscape photography advice
43
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is small (2.5 inch)
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
maximum ISO low (400)
doesn't have Timelapse function
52
you can focus manually
decently wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/1.63")
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic LX5 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video recording
29
decently wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
does not offer selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have mic support
heavier than competition in class (271 grams)
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic LX5
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
Otherwise known as EVOLT E-500 -
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2005-10-21 2011-12-15
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.63"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 8.07 x 5.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 44.9mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3264 x 2448 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 400 12800
Highest enhanced ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-90mm (3.8x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.0-3.3
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 4.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 215 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 7.20 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - AVCHD Lite
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 grams (1.06 pounds) 271 grams (0.60 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 110 x 65 x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 41
DXO Color Depth score not tested 19.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 10.8
DXO Low light score not tested 132
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Price at release $600 $294