Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS7

In this write-up, we are looking at the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS7, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and ZS7 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and ZS7 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The E-500 was revealed 6 years before the ZS7 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS7 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-500 scores against the ZS7 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Panasonic ZS7 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry your camera, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 offers physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS7 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS7 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the E-500 compared to the ZS7.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and ZS7 is 70 and 91 respectively.

Sometimes, it's difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizing simply by reviewing specs. The photograph underneath might give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and ZS7.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-500 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS7 will offer you more detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind in sensor technology.