Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX100 II

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-500 and Sony RX100 II, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and RX100 II (1") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-500 was revealed 8 years prior to the RX100 II which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a complete comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-500 matches up against the RX100 II for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Sony RX100 II Gallery.

If you are intending to travel with your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 features physical 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 II has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-500 and Sony RX100 II in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the E-500 compared to the RX100 II.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and RX100 II is 70 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it is very hard to envision the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by viewing technical specs. The image underneath may give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and RX100 II.

As you can tell, both the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 having a larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Sony RX100 II will provide you with extra detail because of its extra 12MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images way more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.