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Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Sony Alpha A7 III front
Portability
63
Imaging
74
Features
92
Overall
81

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Announced October 2005
  • Other Name is EVOLT E-500
  • New Model is Olympus E-510
Sony A7 III
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Increase to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 650g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Introduced February 2018
  • Earlier Model is Sony A7 II
  • Successor is Sony A7 IV
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Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III Overview

Below is a detailed review of the Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and A7 III (24MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and A7 III (Full frame) enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The E-500 was manufactured 13 years prior to the A7 III and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A7 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-500 scores versus the A7 III with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Sony A7 III

 E-500 A7 III 

Reasons to pick Sony A7 III over the Olympus E-500

 A7 III E-500 
IntroducedFebruary 2018October 2005More recent by 150 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution922k215kSharper display (+707k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Sony A7 III

 E-500 A7 III 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 offers exterior measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Sony A7 III has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the E-500 versus the A7 III.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and A7 III is 70 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III Sensor Comparison

Normally, its hard to visualize the difference in sensor measurements just by checking out specs. The graphic here may give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and A7 III.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-500 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh harder and the Sony A7 III will show more detail due to its extra 16 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A7 III as a Portrait photography camera
48
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
does not have liveview
MP count low (8 megapixels)
84
manual focus
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
has face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-500
Street photography with Sony A7 III
56
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (479 grams)
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
78
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
exports RAW files
comes with focus via touch
weather proofing
good high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography info
Sony A7 III Sports photography info
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
87
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
weather proofing
better than average battery power (610 per charge)
comes with phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography factors
Sony A7 III Travel photography factors
52
lighter than competitors in class (479g)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse mode
MP count low (8 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
73
better than average battery power (610 per charge)
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
comes with focus via touch
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-500
Landscape photography with Sony A7 III
43
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
does not have liveview
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (8MP)
low maximum ISO (400)
no Time Lapse mode
85
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
good high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
better than average battery power (610 shots)
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging factors
Sony A7 III Vlogging factors
9
no video shooting
36
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have external mic jack
display isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-500 vs Sony A7 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Sony A7 III
 Olympus E-500Sony Alpha A7 III
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-500 Sony Alpha A7 III
Otherwise known as EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2005-10-21 2018-02-27
Body design Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3264 x 2448 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 400 51200
Maximum boosted ISO 1600 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 693
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 45 121
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 215 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (120p, 60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution None 3840x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479g (1.06 pounds) 650g (1.43 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 96
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.7
DXO Low light score not tested 3730
Other
Battery life - 610 pictures
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Two
Price at launch $600 $1,998