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Olympus E-500 vs Sony A99 II

Portability
70
Imaging
42
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Sony Alpha A99 II front
Portability
57
Imaging
77
Features
92
Overall
83

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A99 II 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
  • Released October 2005
  • Alternate Name is EVOLT E-500
  • New Model is Olympus E-510
Sony A99 II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Increase to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 849g - 143 x 104 x 76mm
  • Announced September 2016
  • Replaced the Sony A99
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A99 II Overview

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-500 versus Sony A99 II, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and A99 II (Full frame) offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-500 was launched 12 years earlier than the A99 II and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before delving straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-500 grades versus the A99 II for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Sony A99 II

 E-500 A99 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 II over the Olympus E-500

 A99 II E-500 
AnnouncedSeptember 2016October 2005Fresher by 132 months
Screen typeFully articulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1229k215kSharper screen (+1014k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Sony A99 II

 E-500 A99 II 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Touch screen Lack of Touch screen

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A99 II Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 enjoys outer 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 A99 II has dimensions of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") and a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 versus Sony A99 II in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-500 compared to the A99 II.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A99 II size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and A99 II is 70 and 57 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A99 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A99 II Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is tough to envision the difference between sensor sizing simply by looking at specifications. The photograph below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and A99 II.

To sum up, both of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-500 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Sony A99 II will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 34MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A99 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A99 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A99 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography features
Sony A99 II Portrait photography features
49
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no liveview feature
megapixel count low (8MP)
86
has manual focus
MP count fantastic (42MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-500
Street photography with Sony A99 II
57
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than others (479g)
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
great high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography advice
Sony A99 II Sports photography advice
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
slow frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (8MP)
82
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count fantastic (42 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proofing
has phase detect autofocus
terrible battery life (490 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography highlights
Sony A99 II Travel photography highlights
52
lighter than others (479 grams)
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (8 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
70
environment proofing
has bluetooth
MP count fantastic (42 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
terrible battery life (490 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A99 II Landscape photography highlights
43
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.5 inch)
no liveview feature
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
82
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count fantastic (42MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
does not have anti aliasing filter
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
2 card slots
terrible battery life (490 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging information
Sony A99 II Vlogging information
9
can't shoot video
78
selfie friendly display
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has external microphone support
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Olympus E-500 vs Sony A99 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Sony A99 II
 Olympus E-500Sony Alpha A99 II
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-500 Sony Alpha A99 II
Also called EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Released 2005-10-21 2016-09-19
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 42 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3264 x 2448 7952 x 5304
Maximum native ISO 400 25600
Maximum enhanced ISO 1600 102400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Min enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 3 399
Cross type focus points - 79
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 45 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully articulated
Screen diagonal 2.5 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 215k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.78x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Off, auto, fill, slow sync, redeye reduction, rear sync, high-speed sync, wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Maximum video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support
Headphone support
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) 849 gr (1.87 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 143 x 104 x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 92
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 2317
Other
Battery life - 490 photographs
Style of battery - NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery & charger
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS Duo slots
Card slots 1 Two
Price at release $600 $3,198