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Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX10

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 front
Portability
58
Imaging
51
Features
76
Overall
61

Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX10 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Increase to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Released October 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-510
Sony RX10
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Revealed March 2014
  • Renewed by Sony RX10 II
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Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX10 Overview

Following is a thorough comparison of the Olympus E-500 versus Sony RX10, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and RX10 (20MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and RX10 (1") use totally different sensor size.

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The E-500 was announced 9 years before the RX10 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-500 matches up against the RX10 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Sony RX10

 E-500 RX10 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 over the Olympus E-500

 RX10 E-500 
RevealedMarch 2014October 2005More modern by 102 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1290k215kClearer screen (+1075k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Sony RX10

 E-500 RX10 
Focus manually More exact focus
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX10 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 has got outside measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 has proportions of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") with a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-500 versus Sony RX10 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the E-500 and the RX10.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX10 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and RX10 is 70 and 58 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX10 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX10 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizes merely by going over a spec sheet. The picture here might offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and RX10.

As you can see, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-500 with its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Sony RX10 will offer you extra detail with its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX10 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX10 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography info
Sony RX10 Portrait photography info
48
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no liveview feature
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
70
has manual focus
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
features face detection focus
exports RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography factors
Sony RX10 Street photography factors
56
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (479 grams)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
72
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
exports RAW formats
weather proof
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX10 as a Sports photography camera
37
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
low frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (8MP)
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
weather proof
better than average battery power (420 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography info
Sony RX10 Travel photography info
52
lighter than competitors in class (479 grams)
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (8MP)
display is not selfie friendly
58
better than average battery power (420 per charge)
weather proof
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (24mm)
missing Timelapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX10 as a Landscape photography camera
43
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (8MP)
low maximum ISO (400)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
63
has manual focus
quite wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
exports RAW formats
weather proof
better than average battery power (420 shots)
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX10 as a Vlogging camera
9
lack of video recording
30
quite wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external microphone support
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Sony RX10
 Olympus E-500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
Also Known as EVOLT E-500 -
Category Advanced DSLR Large Sensor Superzoom
Released 2005-10-21 2014-03-20
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3264 x 2448 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 400 12800
Maximum boosted ISO 1600 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-200mm (8.3x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.5 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 215 thousand dots 1,290 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - WhiteMagic
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/3200 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 10.20 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479g (1.06 pounds) 813g (1.79 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 69
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 474
Other
Battery life - 420 shots
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
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
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $600 $698