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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 front
Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
55
Overall
46

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Expand to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Other Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-510
Panasonic ZS45
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 249g - 108 x 60 x 32mm
  • Released January 2015
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ57
  • Replaced the Panasonic ZS40
  • Replacement is Panasonic ZS50
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and ZS45 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and ZS45 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-500 was introduced 10 years earlier than the ZS45 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS45 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-500 scores versus the ZS45 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic ZS45

 E-500 ZS45 
Focus manually Dial exact focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS45 over the Olympus E-500

 ZS45 E-500 
ReleasedJanuary 2015October 2005Newer by 112 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1040k215kSharper display (+825k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic ZS45

 E-500 ZS45 
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to travel with your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 features physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS45 has proportions of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

See the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the E-500 and the ZS45.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and ZS45 is 70 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions only by looking through specifications. The picture below might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and ZS45.

To sum up, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 with its larger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS45 will result in greater detail using its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS45 as a Portrait photography camera
48
focusing manually
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
low resolution sensor (8MP)
37
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
features face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
no external flash support
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-500
Street photography with Panasonic ZS45
56
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than others in class (479 grams)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
69
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (249 grams)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZS45 as a Sports photography camera
37
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
no liveview feature
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (8 megapixels)
55
excellent zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
features tracking autofocus
better than average battery power (350 per charge)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography details
Panasonic ZS45 Travel photography details
52
lighter than others in class (479g)
has built in flash
no Timelapse recording
low resolution sensor (8MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
71
better than average battery power (350 per charge)
lighter than average in class (249 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
very long reach (480mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS45 as a Landscape photography camera
43
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5")
no liveview feature
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (8 megapixels)
low max ISO (400)
no Timelapse recording
47
pretty wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
better than average battery power (350 per charge)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging info
Panasonic ZS45 Vlogging info
9
no video recording
34
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average in class (249g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic support
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS45 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic ZS45
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
Also called EVOLT E-500 Lumix DMC-TZ57
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2005-10-21 2015-01-06
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 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
Full resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 400 6400
Max boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 3 21
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.5 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 215 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479 grams (1.06 lb) 249 grams (0.55 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 108 x 60 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3")
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 - 350 photos
Style of battery - 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
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $600 $300