Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX100

Here, we will be comparing the Olympus E-500 and Sony RX100, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and RX100 (1") boast totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was manufactured 7 years before the RX100 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-500 grades vs the RX100 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Sony RX100 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 provides exterior measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Sony RX100 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-500 and Sony RX100 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at the time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-500 compared to the RX100.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and RX100 is 70 and 91 respectively.

Typically, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor sizes purely by looking at specifications. The picture underneath might give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and RX100.

To sum up, each of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-500 due to its bigger sensor will make getting bokeh easier and the Sony RX100 will resolve more detail due to its extra 12MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind in sensor tech.