Olympus E-500 vs Samsung MV800
70 Imaging
41 Features
34 Overall
38


97 Imaging
39 Features
43 Overall
40
Olympus E-500 vs Samsung MV800 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
- Announced October 2005
- Additionally referred to as EVOLT E-500
- Successor is Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 26-130mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
- 121g - 92 x 56 x 10mm
- Launched September 2011

Olympus E-500 vs Samsung MV800 Overview
On this page, we will be matching up the Olympus E-500 and Samsung MV800, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Samsung. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and MV800 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and MV800 (1/2.3") posses different sensor dimensions.

The E-500 was revealed 6 years prior to the MV800 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Samsung MV800 being a Compact camera.
Before diving right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-500 matches up vs the MV800 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-500 vs Samsung MV800 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 & Samsung MV800. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Samsung MV800 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Samsung MV800
E-500 | MV800 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very precise focus |
Reasons to pick Samsung MV800 over the Olympus E-500
MV800 | E-500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | September 2011 | ![]() | October 2005 | Fresher by 71 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") |
Screen resolution | 460k | ![]() | 215k | Clearer screen (+245k dot) |
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Samsung MV800
E-500 | MV800 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lack of selfie screen |
Olympus E-500 vs Samsung MV800 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is aiming to carry your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 has got outside 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 Samsung MV800 has specifications of 92mm x 56mm x 10mm (3.6" x 2.2" x 0.4") with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).
Look at the Olympus E-500 and Samsung MV800 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-500 and the MV800.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and MV800 is 70 and 97 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Samsung MV800 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it can be tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizing simply by seeing technical specs. The graphic underneath will give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and MV800.
As you have seen, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-500 with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Samsung MV800 will show extra detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-500 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-500 vs Samsung MV800 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Samsung MV800 Specifications
Olympus E-500 | Samsung MV800 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Samsung |
Model | Olympus E-500 | Samsung MV800 |
Also called | EVOLT E-500 | - |
Category | Advanced DSLR | Small Sensor Compact |
Announced | 2005-10-21 | 2011-09-01 |
Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 8 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 4608 x 3456 |
Max native ISO | 400 | 3200 |
Max enhanced ISO | 1600 | - |
Min native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 26-130mm (5.0x) |
Max aperture | - | f/3.3-5.9 |
Available lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display sizing | 2.5 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 215k dots | 460k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.45x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 secs | 8 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 3.0fps | - |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) | 3.20 m |
Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | - |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/180 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30/15 fps), 640 x 480 (30/15 fps), 320 x 240 (30/15 fps) |
Max video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
Video data format | - | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 479 gr (1.06 pounds) | 121 gr (0.27 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") | 92 x 56 x 10mm (3.6" x 2.2" x 0.4") |
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 | ||
Battery model | - | BP70 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | Micro SD |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Retail cost | $600 | $499 |