Olympus E-500
- 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
- Announced October 2005
- Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
- Successor is Olympus E-510
- Read full specs
- Alternatives
- Lenses
- Size Comparison
- FAQ
70 Imaging
41 Features
34 Overall
38
Olympus E-500 overview
Olympus E-500 is Olympus's Advanced DSLR camera initially released on October of 2005. It uses a 8 MegaPixel, CCD Four Thirds sized sensor and has a maximum resolution of 3264 x 2448. The camera is referred to as "EVOLT E-500" in some countries.
Olympus introduced the newer Olympus E-510 (Read Full Comparison) in an effort to improve this camera.
The E-500 stands at #87 out of 92 in Advanced DSLR cameras and all around #800 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. Remember to test our Advanced camera search to see camera ratings based on your customized factors.
The following is a chart of different criteria used in the scoring system.
Olympus E-500 family
The Olympus E-500 is part of a family of digital cameras. You can see the complete range underneath.
Olympus E-500 Gallery
You can check the E-500 from different angles in the gallery underneath.
Olympus E-500 Pros and Cons
Below is a checklist of pros and cons of the Olympus E-500 based on criterias which are typically viewed as necessary in a camera.
Olympus E-500 Sensor specifications
The measurement of the sensor in the Olympus E-500 is 17.3mm x 13mm (Four Thirds). The 225 mm² sensor is able to resolve 3264 x 2448 pixels and aspect ratios of 4:3.
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideThe CCD sensor boasts 8MP and supports a native ISO range of 100 - 400. This ISO can also be increased electronically to a high of 1600. RAW files are saved therefore the user has wider margin for error.
The picture underneath displays the E-500's sensor dimensions compared to other common sizes. The E-500 sensor comes with a crop factor of 2.1 and is shown in green.
Photography GlossaryTo get a sense of different aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.
Olympus E-500 dimensions
Olympus E-500 weighs around 1.06 pounds (479 grams or 16.90 oz) and the measurement of the camera is 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6"). The weight of normal Advanced DSLR camera is 776 grams so the Olympus E-500 is lighter when compared to various competitors.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoDown below is a shot of the Olympus E-500 with a soft drink so you can have a sense of its scale.
The top view under will highlight the button design on the E-500.
Olympus E-500 Lens specifications
The E-500 fits the Micro Four Thirds mount and has 162 lenses available for sale. Below is a few of the lenses we have in our collection which will fit the E-500.
Olympus E-500 Connectivity
The E-500 has the following connectivity:
- USB Yes
Cameras that incorporate NFC and / or Bluetooth compatibility are able to be used wirelessly through smartphones. You can easily copy pictures and usually adjust settings with no need to connect physically to the camera.
Several applications even enable a Liveview and click the shutter in case you aren't near the camera. If the camera includes a HDMI out, it can easily be attached to an external screen. The majority of cameras enable you to recharge the battery with the USB socket.
Olympus E-500 Video specifications
Olympus E-500 does not take video. In case you are wanting a camera to take only pictures, this is not a concern.
Olympus E-500 Weather Sealing
There is no weather sealing for the Olympus E-500 so you need to be cautious in wet or dusty situations.
Olympus E-500 Display and Viewfinder
The Olympus E-500 houses a 2.5" fixed display supporting a resolution of 215k dots.
Unfortunately the display is not a touch screen.
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneThe View Finder specs regarding Olympus E-500 are the following:
- ViewFinder Optical (pentaprism)
- Coverage 95 percent
- Magnification 0.45x
Viewfinders are quite handy in sunny outdoor situations which may make the camera display washed out and difficult to view.
Olympus E-500 Shutter specifications
Olympus E-500 is able to shoot continuously at 3.0 frames/s. The max shutter speed is 1/4000 seconds.
Olympus E-500 Flash and Hot shoe specifications
Olympus E-500 includes both in-built flash and also external flash ability. The maximum flash sync is 1/180 seconds.
Olympus E-500 Autofocus specifications
Olympus E-500 includes both Phase Detect Autofocus along with Contrast Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot faster and accurate when compared to Contrast Detect focusing.
The AF system boasts 3 focus points to select from. Olympus E-500 boasts manual focus when required in low light scenarios or you need more precise focus control.
Olympus E-500 Battery life
The general Advanced DSLR camera battery life is 909. Nikon D780 comes with the highest possible (2260) battery life in this type of cameras.
Following is a listing of Advanced DSLR cameras having the highest battery life:
Olympus E-500 for different forms of photography
The following diagram displays a analysis of the Olympus E-500 for different forms of photography. To learn more, have a look at the specific section underneath.
Olympus E-500 Portrait photography advice
The Olympus E-500 has a rating of 48 which is modest, and means the camera is fairly suited to use for portrait images. Photographing portrait images favors greatly towards sensor dimension, RAW support & ability to work with off-camera flash.
Olympus E-500 Street photography information
Coming in at a reasonable score of 56, the Olympus E-500 is somewhat adequate for street photography. A very good street photography camera gives a fine balance of image quality plus portability.
Olympus E-500 Sports photography advice
A lousy sports photography rating of 37 indicates the Olympus E-500 is not really good for taking pictures of sports. A camera really should have great focusing and shutter speeds for sports photography.
Olympus E-500 Travel photography details
Weight is really critical in picking a travel camera. Overall, the Olympus E-500 gets a average 52 for a travel camera which makes it somewhat appropriate for your travels.
Olympus E-500 Landscape photography information
If you're planning to choose a digital camera for landscape pictures, the most important factor will no doubt be image quality. The Olympus E-500 with it's lousy rating of 43 as a landscape camera is not really good within the current marketplace.
Olympus E-500 Vlogging highlights
A vlogging camera should really have a articulating display, mic port and ideally IBIS. Considering all things, the Olympus E-500 is not really good for vlogging as it receives a lousy score of 9.
Olympus E-500 Alternatives
If you are looking for alternatives to the E-500, here is a range of the top scored cameras which fall into the family of Advanced DSLR.
The line chart underneath shows you an overview of the E-500 versus it's highest ranking competitors shown previously.
There are more cameras you might have a look at as alternate options. To go through a extensive comparison, go to the "compare" link.