Olympus E-500 vs Sony S2100

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-500 vs Sony S2100, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and S2100 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and S2100 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was revealed 5 years prior to the S2100 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony S2100 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-500 matches up versus the S2100 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Sony S2100 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera regularly, you need 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") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Sony S2100 has sizing of 98mm x 61mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-500 vs Sony S2100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-500 vs the S2100.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and S2100 is 70 and 93 respectively.

In many cases, it is hard to see the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reviewing technical specs. The graphic underneath should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and S2100.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-500 using its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony S2100 will deliver greater detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots far more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.