Clicky

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-5T

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5T front
Portability
89
Imaging
58
Features
79
Overall
66

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-5T 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
  • Launched October 2005
  • Additionally Known as EVOLT E-500
  • Replacement is Olympus E-510
Sony NEX-5T
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
  • Revealed August 2013
  • Replaced the Sony NEX-5R
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-5T Overview

Here is a detailed analysis of the Olympus E-500 and Sony NEX-5T, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and NEX-5T (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5T (APS-C) offer different sensor sizes.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The E-500 was launched 8 years earlier than the NEX-5T and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5T being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-500 matches up against the NEX-5T with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Sony NEX-5T

 E-500 NEX-5T 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5T over the Olympus E-500

 NEX-5T E-500 
RevealedAugust 2013October 2005Fresher by 95 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution922k215kSharper display (+707k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Sony NEX-5T

 E-500 NEX-5T 
Manually focus More precise focusing

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-5T Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-500 comes with external measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5T has measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-500 and Sony NEX-5T in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-500 versus the NEX-5T.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-5T size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and NEX-5T is 70 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-5T top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-5T Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing merely by going over a spec sheet. The graphic underneath might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and NEX-5T.

As you can see, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-500 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Sony NEX-5T will offer you extra detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-5T sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-5T Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-5T Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography details
Sony NEX-5T Portrait photography details
48
focusing manually
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
doesn't have liveview
sensor resolution low (8MP)
74
you can focus manually
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detection focus
saves RAW formats
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography factors
Sony NEX-5T Street photography factors
56
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
lighter than others (479 grams)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
80
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
includes touch to focus
above average ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography features
Sony NEX-5T Sports photography features
37
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
69
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
has phase detect auto focus
lack of image stabilization
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-5T as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than others (479g)
flash built-in
does not have Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution low (8MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
77
includes touch to focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
lack of Timelapse recording
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography information
Sony NEX-5T Landscape photography information
43
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
small screen (2.5 inches)
doesn't have liveview
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
low max ISO (400)
does not have Time Lapse mode
70
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
lack of Timelapse recording
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-500
Vlogging with Sony NEX-5T
9
can't record video
73
display is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
provides face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of image stabilization
lack of external microphone socket
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-5T Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Sony NEX-5T
 Olympus E-500Sony Alpha NEX-5T
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-500 Sony Alpha NEX-5T
Also called as EVOLT E-500 -
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2005-10-21 2013-08-27
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3264 x 2448 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 400 25600
Highest boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 3 99
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 45 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 215k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - Tilt Up 180° Down 50° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 7.00 m (ISO100)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x1080 (60p/60i/24p)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone 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 479g (1.06 lbs) 276g (0.61 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 78
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 1015
Other
Battery life - 330 photographs
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ((10/2 sec. delay), Self-timer (Cont.) (with 10 sec. delay; 3/5 exposures))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $600 $400