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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX7

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 front
Portability
86
Imaging
35
Features
61
Overall
45

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX7 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Expand to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Also Known as EVOLT E-500
  • Updated by Olympus E-510
Panasonic LX7
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400 (Increase to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-90mm (F1.4-2.3) lens
  • 298g - 111 x 68 x 46mm
  • Introduced October 2012
  • Superseded the Panasonic LX5
  • Replacement is Panasonic LX10
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX7 Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic LX7, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-500 (8MP) and the LX7 (10MP) is pretty comparable but the E-500 (Four Thirds) and LX7 (1/1.7") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-500 was brought out 8 years prior to the LX7 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic LX7 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-500 scores vs the LX7 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic LX7

 E-500 LX7 

Reasons to pick Panasonic LX7 over the Olympus E-500

 LX7 E-500 
IntroducedOctober 2012October 2005Fresher by 85 months
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution920k215kSharper screen (+705k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic LX7

 E-500 LX7 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX7 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 enjoys outer dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Panasonic LX7 has specifications of 111mm x 68mm x 46mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.8") with a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic LX7 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-500 against the LX7.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX7 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and LX7 is 70 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX7 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be hard to envision the gap in sensor sizing purely by checking out specs. The visual underneath may give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and LX7.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-500 because of its bigger sensor will make getting bokeh simpler and the Panasonic LX7 will provide more detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic LX7 Portrait photography advice
48
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no liveview
low MP (8MP)
45
manual focus
provides face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography highlights
Panasonic LX7 Street photography highlights
56
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
lighter than competitors (479g)
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
58
built in image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
more heavy than competition (298g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-500
Sports photography with Panasonic LX7
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect AF
no liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
low MP (8MP)
42
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides tracking autofocus
better than average battery power (330 CIPA)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic LX7 Travel photography highlights
52
lighter than competitors (479g)
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
low MP (8MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
64
better than average battery power (330 per charge)
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.4)
more heavy than competition (298g)
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic LX7 Landscape photography highlights
43
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
low MP (8 megapixels)
low max ISO (400)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
57
manual focus
pretty wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.4)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (330 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging advice
Panasonic LX7 Vlogging advice
9
lack of video recording
33
pretty wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.4)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external microphone port
more heavy than competition (298g)
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic LX7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic LX7
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7
Also Known as EVOLT E-500 -
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2005-10-21 2012-10-15
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3264 x 2448 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 400 6400
Maximum boosted ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-90mm (3.8x)
Highest aperture - f/1.4-2.3
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 4.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 215 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 8.50 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479 gr (1.06 pounds) 298 gr (0.66 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 111 x 68 x 46mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 50
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 147
Other
Battery life - 330 shots
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $600 $400