Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS5
70 Imaging
41 Features
34 Overall
38
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92 Imaging
35 Features
30 Overall
33
Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 400 (Bump to 1600)
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
- Revealed October 2005
- Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
- Renewed by Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
- 214g - 103 x 60 x 32mm
- Launched June 2010
- Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-TZ8
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS5 Overview
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.
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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.
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS5 Gallery
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.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic ZS5
E-500 | ZS5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Dial exact focus |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS5 over the Olympus E-500
ZS5 | E-500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | June 2010 | ![]() | October 2005 | More recent by 56 months |
Display dimension | 2.7" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.2") |
Display resolution | 230k | ![]() | 215k | Clearer display (+15k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic ZS5
E-500 | ZS5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither includes selfie screen | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Neither includes Touch display |
Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS5 Physical Comparison
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.
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Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and ZS5 is 70 and 92 respectively.
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS5 Sensor Comparison
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.
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS5 Specifications
Olympus E-500 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus E-500 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 |
Otherwise known as | EVOLT E-500 | Lumix DMC-TZ8 |
Class | Advanced DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Revealed | 2005-10-21 | 2010-06-16 |
Body design | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | - | Venus Engine HD II |
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
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 | 8 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 4000 x 3000 |
Highest native ISO | 400 | 6400 |
Highest enhanced ISO | 1600 | - |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | 11 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 25-300mm (12.0x) |
Maximal aperture | - | f/3.3-4.9 |
Macro focus range | - | 3cm |
Amount of lenses | 45 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 2.5 inch | 2.7 inch |
Display resolution | 215k dot | 230k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.45x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 60s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1300s |
Continuous shutter speed | 3.0fps | 2.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) | 5.30 m |
Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/180s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
Video file format | - | Motion JPEG |
Mic 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 proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 479 gr (1.06 lb) | 214 gr (0.47 lb) |
Dimensions | 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") | 103 x 60 x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light score | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
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 | One | One |
Retail price | $600 | $300 |