Clicky

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic TS3

Portability
70
Imaging
42
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 front
Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
31
Overall
34

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic TS3 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Launched October 2005
  • Alternate Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Replacement is Olympus E-510
Panasonic TS3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-128mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 197g - 103 x 64 x 27mm
  • Launched August 2011
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-FT3
  • Old Model is Panasonic TS2
  • Newer Model is Panasonic TS4
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic TS3 Overview

Following is a thorough analysis of the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic TS3, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Waterproof by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and TS3 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and TS3 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor measurements.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The E-500 was manufactured 6 years earlier than the TS3 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic TS3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-500 matches up versus the TS3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic TS3

 E-500 TS3 
Manual focus Very exact focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic TS3 over the Olympus E-500

 TS3 E-500 
LaunchedAugust 2011October 2005More modern by 70 months
Screen dimension2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution230k215kClearer screen (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic TS3

 E-500 TS3 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic TS3 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry around your camera often, you have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 comes with outer measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Panasonic TS3 has dimensions of 103mm x 64mm x 27mm (4.1" x 2.5" x 1.1") along with a weight of 197 grams (0.43 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic TS3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at the time. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-500 and the TS3.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic TS3 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and TS3 is 70 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic TS3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic TS3 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to envision the contrast in sensor sizes merely by looking through technical specs. The image below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and TS3.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-500 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic TS3 will render greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic TS3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic TS3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic TS3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic TS3 Portrait photography highlights
49
you can focus manually
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
does not have liveview
megapixel count low (8 megapixels)
21
manual focus not available
no manual control
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-500
Street photography with Panasonic TS3
57
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
lighter than competition (479 grams)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
environment proof
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography advice
Panasonic TS3 Sports photography advice
37
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect AF
does not have liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (8 megapixels)
38
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment proof
better than average battery life (310 CIPA)
low max shutter speed (1/1,300s)
max frames per second low (4.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography advice
Panasonic TS3 Travel photography advice
52
lighter than competition (479 grams)
flash built-in
missing Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (8MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
64
better than average battery life (310 CIPA)
environment proof
flash built-in
rather wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography details
Panasonic TS3 Landscape photography details
43
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.5 inch)
does not have liveview
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (8MP)
low maximum ISO (400)
missing Timelapse recording
38
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
environment proof
better than average battery life (310 shots)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inch)
no manual control
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
missing Time Lapse mode
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-500
Vlogging with Panasonic TS3
9
no video
32
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing external mic jack
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic TS3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic TS3
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3
Also called EVOLT E-500 Lumix DMC-FT3
Class Advanced DSLR Waterproof
Launched 2005-10-21 2011-08-16
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - Venus Engine FHD
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 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3264 x 2448 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 400 6400
Highest enhanced ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-128mm (4.6x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.5 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 215k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1300 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.60 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479g (1.06 lbs) 197g (0.43 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 103 x 64 x 27mm (4.1" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 - 310 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $600 $380