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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic SZ3

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 front
Portability
96
Imaging
40
Features
29
Overall
35

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic SZ3 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Bump to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Released October 2005
  • Also referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • New Model is Olympus E-510
Panasonic SZ3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 126g - 95 x 56 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2013
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic SZ3 Overview

The following is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic SZ3, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and SZ3 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and SZ3 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-500 was revealed 8 years before the SZ3 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a in depth comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-500 scores versus the SZ3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic SZ3

 E-500 SZ3 
Manual focus Very exact focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ3 over the Olympus E-500

 SZ3 E-500 
IntroducedJanuary 2013October 2005Newer by 87 months
Screen dimension2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution230k215kSharper screen (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic SZ3

 E-500 SZ3 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Neither features Touch screen

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic SZ3 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 enjoys external 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 SZ3 has specifications of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic SZ3 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the E-500 and the SZ3.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic SZ3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and SZ3 is 70 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic SZ3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic SZ3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions only by looking through specifications. The pic underneath may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and SZ3.

To sum up, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic SZ3 will render greater detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic SZ3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic SZ3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic SZ3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
Portrait photography with Panasonic SZ3
48
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
does not have liveview
low megapixels (8MP)
30
decent MP (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography highlights
Panasonic SZ3 Street photography highlights
56
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lighter than average (479g)
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
64
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (126 grams)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-500
Sports photography with Panasonic SZ3
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
does not have liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (8MP)
41
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
low fps (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography details
Panasonic SZ3 Travel photography details
52
lighter than average (479g)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
71
lighter than average in class (126g)
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
really wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic SZ3 as a Landscape photography camera
43
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
lack of Time Lapse recording
39
really wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging info
Panasonic SZ3 Vlogging info
9
no video shooting
31
really wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (126 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external mic jack
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic SZ3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic SZ3
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3
Other name EVOLT E-500 -
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Released 2005-10-21 2013-01-07
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Full resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 400 6400
Max boosted ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 215 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.10 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 grams (1.06 pounds) 126 grams (0.28 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 95 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 250 shots
Style of battery - Battery Pack
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
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $600 $150