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Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
41
Overall
39

Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Revealed October 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
  • New Model is Olympus E-510
Sony WX30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 117g - 92 x 52 x 19mm
  • Released July 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and WX30 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and WX30 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-500 was released 6 years before the WX30 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera 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 WX30 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the E-500 grades versus the WX30 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Sony WX30

 E-500 WX30 
Manually focus Very exact focusing

Reasons to pick Sony WX30 over the Olympus E-500

 WX30 E-500 
ReleasedJuly 2011October 2005Fresher by 70 months
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution922k215kSharper screen (+707k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Sony WX30

 E-500 WX30 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 has 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) whilst the Sony WX30 has specifications of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-500 versus the WX30.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and WX30 is 70 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by going through technical specs. The photograph here may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-500 and WX30.

As you have seen, both of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-500 because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony WX30 will provide greater detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older E-500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
Portrait photography with Sony WX30
48
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no liveview feature
sensor resolution low (8MP)
30
decent MP (16MP)
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography highlights
Sony WX30 Street photography highlights
56
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than average in class (479 grams)
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (117 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-500
Sports photography with Sony WX30
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
slow fps (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
39
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography factors
Sony WX30 Travel photography factors
52
lighter than average in class (479 grams)
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
69
lighter than competition (117 grams)
decent MP (16MP)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
no Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-500
Landscape photography with Sony WX30
43
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is small (2.5 inch)
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
43
really wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.6)
lack of manual mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging factors
Sony WX30 Vlogging factors
9
can't shoot video
35
really wide (25mm)
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (117g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.6)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no external microphone support
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Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Sony WX30
 Olympus E-500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30
Also Known as EVOLT E-500 -
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2005-10-21 2011-07-25
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 400 3200
Maximum boosted ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.6-6.3
Macro focus range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5" 3"
Resolution of screen 215k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - XtraFine TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.70 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479g (1.06 lbs) 117g (0.26 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 92 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 250 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Price at launch $600 $259