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Olympus E-500 vs Sony A77

Portability
70
Imaging
42
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Sony SLT-A77 front
Portability
59
Imaging
63
Features
83
Overall
71

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A77 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Push to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
  • New Model is Olympus E-510
Sony A77
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 50 - 16000 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 732g - 143 x 104 x 81mm
  • Announced October 2011
  • Replaced the Sony A700
  • New Model is Sony A77 II
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Olympus E-500 vs Sony A77 Overview

Below is a complete comparison of the Olympus E-500 versus Sony A77, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and A77 (24MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and A77 (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The E-500 was brought out 7 years earlier than the A77 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before delving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-500 matches up against the A77 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Sony A77

 E-500 A77 

Reasons to pick Sony A77 over the Olympus E-500

 A77 E-500 
AnnouncedOctober 2011October 2005More recent by 73 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution921k215kClearer screen (+706k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Sony A77

 E-500 A77 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A77 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 comes with outer measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Sony A77 has specifications of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") along with a weight of 732 grams (1.61 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 versus Sony A77 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-500 vs the A77.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A77 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and A77 is 70 and 59 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A77 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A77 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to imagine the difference between sensor measurements simply by reviewing specs. The graphic below might provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and A77.

All in all, the 2 cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-500 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A77 will offer you more detail having its extra 16MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A77 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A77 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Sony A77 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
Portrait photography with Sony A77
49
you can focus manually
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview
low MP (8MP)
77
focusing manually
good megapixels (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Street photography camera
Sony A77 as a Street photography camera
57
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than average (479 grams)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
74
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-500
Sports photography with Sony A77
37
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
no liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
low MP (8MP)
74
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
environment proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
low battery (470 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A77 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than average (479 grams)
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
low MP (8 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
62
environment proofing
good megapixels (24MP)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
does not have Time Lapse function
low battery (470 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography features
Sony A77 Landscape photography features
43
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
no liveview
no image stabilization
low MP (8MP)
low maximum ISO (400)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
71
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
low battery (470 shots)
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging advice
Sony A77 Vlogging advice
9
no video shooting
76
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external mic port
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Olympus E-500 vs Sony A77 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Sony A77
 Olympus E-500Sony SLT-A77
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-500 Sony SLT-A77
Other name EVOLT E-500 -
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2005-10-21 2011-10-25
Body design Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3264 x 2448 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 400 16000
Max boosted ISO 1600 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 50
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 19
Cross focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 45 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 215 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479g (1.06 pounds) 732g (1.61 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 143 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 78
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.2
DXO Low light score not tested 801
Other
Battery life - 470 pictures
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail price $600 $900