Olympus E-500 vs Sony WX5

Here, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-500 and Sony WX5, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and WX5 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and WX5 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizing.

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The E-500 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the WX5 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony WX5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-500 matches up against the WX5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Sony WX5 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-500 has physical dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Sony WX5 has measurements of 92mm x 52mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 146 grams (0.32 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 and Sony WX5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-500 versus the WX5.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and WX5 is 70 and 95 respectively.

Usually, its hard to picture the difference between sensor measurements simply by reading technical specs. The graphic below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and WX5.

As you have seen, both of those cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-500 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony WX5 will offer you greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.