Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic S2

Following is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic S2, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and S2 (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and S2 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor size.

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The E-500 was unveiled 7 years before the S2 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic S2 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-500 grades against the S2 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Panasonic S2 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry around your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 enjoys physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S2 has specifications of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic S2 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the E-500 against the S2.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and S2 is 70 and 96 respectively.

Normally, it is tough to envision the gap between sensor sizes purely by reading through technical specs. The pic here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and S2.

As you have seen, both cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-500 with its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic S2 will give you extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.