Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic SZ7

The following is a extended overview of the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic SZ7, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and SZ7 (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and SZ7 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was unveiled 7 years prior to the SZ7 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-500 scores against the SZ7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Panasonic SZ7 Gallery.

When you are intending to travel with your camera, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 features physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ7 has sizing of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic SZ7 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the E-500 compared to the SZ7.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and SZ7 is 70 and 95 respectively.

Typically, it can be hard to envision the gap in sensor dimensions purely by viewing a spec sheet. The pic here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and SZ7.

Clearly, both of those cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic SZ7 will provide you with extra detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.