Olympus E-500 vs Sony A450
70 Imaging
41 Features
34 Overall
38


65 Imaging
53 Features
52 Overall
52
Olympus E-500 vs Sony A450 Key Specs
(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
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 560g - 137 x 104 x 81mm
- Introduced January 2010

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A450 Overview
In this write-up, we will be comparing the Olympus E-500 versus Sony A450, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and A450 (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and A450 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor measurements.

The E-500 was unveiled 5 years prior to the A450 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A450 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before diving in to a complete comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-500 grades against the A450 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A450 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A450. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Sony A450 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Sony A450
E-500 | A450 |
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Reasons to pick Sony A450 over the Olympus E-500
A450 | E-500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | January 2010 | ![]() | October 2005 | More recent by 51 months |
Screen sizing | 2.7" | ![]() | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.2") |
Screen resolution | 230k | ![]() | 215k | Crisper screen (+15k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Sony A450
E-500 | A450 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very accurate focus | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither provides selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither provides Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-500 vs Sony A450 Physical Comparison
When you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 provides outer 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) whilst the Sony A450 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.2") and a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).
See the Olympus E-500 versus Sony A450 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-500 compared to the A450.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and A450 is 70 and 65 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A450 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is very hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements simply by reading a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and A450.
As you can see, both cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-500 using its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Sony A450 will deliver greater detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A450 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A450 Specifications
Olympus E-500 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A450 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-500 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A450 |
Also referred to as | EVOLT E-500 | - |
Class | Advanced DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Released | 2005-10-21 | 2010-01-05 |
Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | - | Bionz |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 365.0mm² |
Sensor resolution | 8 megapixels | 14 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 4592 x 3056 |
Highest native ISO | 400 | 12800 |
Highest boosted ISO | 1600 | - |
Min native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Amount of lenses | 45 | 143 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 2.5 inches | 2.7 inches |
Screen resolution | 215 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Screen technology | - | TFT Clear Photo Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 95% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.45x | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shooting rate | 3.0 frames per second | 7.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 13.00 m (at ISO 100) | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, Fill, Rear Sync, Slow Sync, Wireless/ High Speed Sync |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/180 seconds | 1/160 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Highest video resolution | None | None |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 479 gr (1.06 pounds) | 560 gr (1.23 pounds) |
Dimensions | 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") | 137 x 104 x 81mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.2") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | 66 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 21.8 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 11.8 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 769 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 1050 shots |
Type of battery | - | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at launch | $600 | $1,241 |