Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS5

Below, we are contrasting the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic ZS5, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was introduced 5 years before the ZS5 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-500 grades versus the ZS5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 features physical dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS5 has sizing of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic ZS5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have at that moment. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-500 compared to the ZS5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and ZS5 is 70 and 92 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to envision the difference between sensor measurements just by reviewing technical specs. The graphic below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and ZS5.

As you have seen, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-500 with its larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic ZS5 will offer extra detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.