Clicky

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS70 front
Portability
87
Imaging
47
Features
70
Overall
56

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Increase to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Revealed October 2005
  • Additionally Known as EVOLT E-500
  • Replacement is Olympus E-510
Panasonic ZS70
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 322g - 112 x 67 x 41mm
  • Released April 2017
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ90
  • Superseded the Panasonic ZS60
  • Newer Model is Panasonic ZS80
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70 Overview

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.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

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.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic ZS70

 E-500 ZS70 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS70 over the Olympus E-500

 ZS70 E-500 
ReleasedApril 2017October 2005More recent by 139 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1040k215kClearer screen (+825k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic ZS70

 E-500 ZS70 
Focus manually More precise focus

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70 size comparison

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

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic ZS70 Portrait photography factors
48
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
low resolution sensor (8MP)
54
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS70 as a Street photography camera
56
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (479 grams)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
max ISO too low (400)
76
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography factors
Panasonic ZS70 Sports photography factors
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
low fps (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (8MP)
61
great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
silent shutter (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
includes tracking autofocus
good battery life (380 shots)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography factors
Panasonic ZS70 Travel photography factors
52
lighter than competition in class (479g)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low resolution sensor (8 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
79
good battery life (380 shots)
boasts focus by touch
decent megapixels (20MP)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
rather wide (24mm)
great reach (720mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZS70 Landscape photography information
43
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
doesn't have liveview
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (8MP)
max ISO too low (400)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
62
you can focus manually
rather wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (380 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging details
Panasonic ZS70 Vlogging details
9
no video recording
74
rather wide (24mm)
display is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
lack of external mic socket
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZS70 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic ZS70
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS70
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS70
Also referred to as EVOLT E-500 Lumix DMC-TZ90
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2005-10-21 2017-04-19
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - Venus Engine
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3264 x 2448 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 400 3200
Highest enhanced ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 3 49
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-720mm (30.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.5" 3"
Resolution of screen 215 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,166 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.46x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/16000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.60 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 (30p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution None 3840x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
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 gr (1.06 lb) 322 gr (0.71 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 112 x 67 x 41mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 - 380 shots
Battery type - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 3 shots / 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $600 $450