Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS15

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic ZS15, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and ZS15 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and ZS15 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizes.

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The E-500 was introduced 7 years before the ZS15 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-500 scores versus the ZS15 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-500 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Panasonic ZS15 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 has physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS15 has dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic ZS15 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose during that time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-500 versus the ZS15.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and ZS15 is 70 and 92 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to picture the difference between sensor measurements only by looking at specs. The photograph underneath may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and ZS15.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-500 having a larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic ZS15 will resolve more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.