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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS10

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 front
Portability
91
Imaging
37
Features
46
Overall
40

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS10 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Boost to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Announced October 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Successor is Olympus E-510
Panasonic ZS10
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 219g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Launched January 2011
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ20 / Lumix DMC-TZ22
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS10 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic ZS10, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and ZS10 (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and ZS10 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizes.

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The E-500 was manufactured 6 years before the ZS10 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS10 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-500 scores vs the ZS10 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic ZS10

 E-500 ZS10 
Manual focus Very precise focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS10 over the Olympus E-500

 ZS10 E-500 
LaunchedJanuary 2011October 2005Newer by 64 months
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k215kCrisper screen (+245k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic ZS10

 E-500 ZS10 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS10 Physical Comparison

When you are going to travel with your camera, you need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 offers physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS10 has specifications of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 219 grams (0.48 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic ZS10 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-500 and the ZS10.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS10 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and ZS10 is 70 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS10 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS10 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be tough to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by looking at specs. The pic underneath should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and ZS10.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 because of its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Panasonic ZS10 will resolve greater detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS10 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS10 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic ZS10 Portrait photography advice
48
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview
sensor resolution low (8MP)
30
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS10 as a Street photography camera
56
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (479g)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
max ISO too low (400)
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
boasts touch to focus
lighter than competition (219 grams)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic ZS10 Sports photography highlights
37
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
47
great zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery life (260 per charge)
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography advice
Panasonic ZS10 Travel photography advice
52
lighter than competition in class (479 grams)
flash built-in
missing Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (8MP)
does not have a selfie friendly display
67
lighter than competition (219g)
boasts touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (24mm)
long reach (384mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
low battery life (260 CIPA)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZS10 Landscape photography information
43
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
small screen (2.5 inches)
no liveview
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
max ISO too low (400)
missing Timelapse function
42
really wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
low battery life (260 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging advice
Panasonic ZS10 Vlogging advice
9
can't record video
34
really wide (24mm)
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (219g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone port
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic ZS10
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10
Also called as EVOLT E-500 Lumix DMC-TZ20 / Lumix DMC-TZ22
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2005-10-21 2011-01-25
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3264 x 2448 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 400 6400
Max enhanced ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-384mm (16.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5" 3"
Screen resolution 215k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest 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 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max 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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479g (1.06 pounds) 219g (0.48 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 260 photographs
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $600 $350