Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and ZS70 (20MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and ZS70 (1/2.3") feature different sensor dimensions.

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The E-500 was revealed 12 years prior to the ZS70 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS70 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a full comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-500 scores versus the ZS70 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS70. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Panasonic ZS70 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 comes with 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) while the Panasonic ZS70 has specifications of 112mm x 67mm x 41mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.6") having a weight of 322 grams (0.71 lbs).

See the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. The following is the front view size comparison of the E-500 versus the ZS70.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and ZS70 is 70 and 87 respectively.

Often, it can be difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements just by going over a spec sheet. The photograph below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and ZS70.

Clearly, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-500 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Panasonic ZS70 will deliver more detail because of its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures far more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.