Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS25
70 Imaging
41 Features
34 Overall
38


93 Imaging
39 Features
43 Overall
40
Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS25 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 400 (Increase to 1600)
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
- Announced October 2005
- Also Known as EVOLT E-500
- Successor is Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
- 193g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
- Introduced January 2013
- Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ35
- Succeeded the Panasonic ZS20
- Later Model is Panasonic ZS30

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS25 Overview
Below is a extended analysis of the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic ZS25, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and ZS25 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and ZS25 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

The E-500 was released 8 years before the ZS25 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS25 being a Compact camera.
Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-500 scores against the ZS25 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS25 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS25. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Panasonic ZS25 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic ZS25
E-500 | ZS25 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | More precise focusing |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS25 over the Olympus E-500
ZS25 | E-500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | January 2013 | ![]() | October 2005 | More recent by 87 months |
Display size | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 215k | Sharper display (+245k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic ZS25
E-500 | ZS25 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lack of selfie screen | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Lack of Touch display |
Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS25 Physical Comparison
In case you're looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 enjoys physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS25 has sizing of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic ZS25 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-500 versus the ZS25.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and ZS25 is 70 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS25 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it is tough to envision the difference in sensor measurements just by checking out technical specs. The visual here should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and ZS25.
As you have seen, both of those cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-500 because of its larger sensor will make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic ZS25 will produce greater detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images way more aggressively. The older E-500 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS25 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS25 Specifications
Olympus E-500 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS25 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus E-500 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS25 |
Also called | EVOLT E-500 | Lumix DMC-TZ35 |
Class | Advanced DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Announced | 2005-10-21 | 2013-01-07 |
Body design | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
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 | 8MP | 16MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 4896 x 3672 |
Maximum native ISO | 400 | 6400 |
Maximum boosted ISO | 1600 | - |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 24-480mm (20.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.3-6.4 |
Macro focusing range | - | 3cm |
Available lenses | 45 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 2.5 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of screen | 215k dot | 460k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.45x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 15s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1200s |
Continuous shooting speed | 3.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) | 6.40 m |
Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure 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 | - | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Microphone 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 | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 479g (1.06 lb) | 193g (0.43 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") | 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around 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 pictures |
Battery format | - | Battery Pack |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Launch price | $600 | $300 |