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Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
70
Imaging
42
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
64
Features
71
Overall
66

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Boost to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Launched October 2005
  • Additionally Known as EVOLT E-500
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-510
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Announced December 2011
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Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

Below, we are matching up the Olympus E-500 and Sony NEX-7, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and NEX-7 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-500 was manufactured 7 years before the NEX-7 which is quite a serious difference as far as 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 NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-500 scores vs the NEX-7 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Sony NEX-7

 E-500 NEX-7 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Olympus E-500

 NEX-7 E-500 
AnnouncedDecember 2011October 2005Newer by 74 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution921k215kCrisper display (+706k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Sony NEX-7

 E-500 NEX-7 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

If you're going to travel with your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 features 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) and the Sony NEX-7 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-500 and Sony NEX-7 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the E-500 against the NEX-7.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and NEX-7 is 70 and 84 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's difficult to envision the gap between sensor dimensions merely by reading through a spec sheet. The image here may give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and NEX-7.

As you can see, both of those cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Sony NEX-7 will give you more detail due to its extra 16 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography factors
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography factors
49
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no liveview feature
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
78
has manual focus
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography information
Sony NEX-7 Street photography information
57
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (479 grams)
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
76
screen tilts
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-500
Sports photography with Sony NEX-7
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
max fps low (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
resolution not great (8MP)
62
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
good battery life (430 shots)
lack of image stabilization
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography details
Sony NEX-7 Travel photography details
52
lighter than competitors in class (479 grams)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
70
good battery life (430 CIPA)
good MP (24MP)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse function
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography details
Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography details
43
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
tiny screen (2.5")
no liveview feature
no image stabilization
resolution not great (8 megapixels)
maximum ISO low (400)
doesn't have Timelapse function
72
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (430 shots)
lack of image stabilization
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-500
Vlogging with Sony NEX-7
9
can't record video
35
supports face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external microphone support
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Sony NEX-7
 Olympus E-500Sony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-500 Sony Alpha NEX-7
Also referred to as EVOLT E-500 -
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2005-10-21 2011-12-13
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3264 x 2448 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 400 16000
Maximum enhanced ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 45 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 215k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
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 lbs) 400 gr (0.88 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 81
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.1
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 1016
Other
Battery life - 430 photographs
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $600 $699