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Olympus E-500 vs E-600

The Olympus Evolt E-500 and the Olympus E-600 are two digital cameras that were revealed to the public, respectively, in September 2005 and August 2009. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. The E-500 has a resolution of 8 megapixels, whereas the E-600 provides 12.2 MP.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Headline Specifications
Olympus E-500
versus
Olympus E-600
Olympus E-500   Olympus E-600
Digital single lens reflex Digital single lens reflex
Four Thirds lenses Four Thirds lenses
8 MP – Four Thirds sensor 12.2 MP – Four Thirds sensor
no Video no Video
ISO 100-400 (100 - 1,600) ISO 100-3,200
Optical viewfinder Optical viewfinder
2.5" LCD – 215k dots 2.7" LCD – 230k dots
Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive) Swivel screen (not touch-sensitive)
2.5 shutter flaps per second 4 shutter flaps per second
Lens stabilization onlyIn-body stabilization
750 shots per battery charge500 shots per battery charge
130 x 95 x 66 mm, 479 g 130 x 94 x 60 mm, 535 g
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Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Olympus Evolt E-500 and the Olympus E-600? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

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Body comparison

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size and weight of the Olympus E-500 and the Olympus E-600. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

Size Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-600
Compare E-500 versus E-600 top
Comparison E-500 or E-600 rear

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Olympus E-600 is somewhat smaller (1 percent) than the Olympus E-500. However, the E-600 is markedly heavier (12 percent) than the E-500. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the E-500 nor the E-600 are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. In this particular case, both cameras feature the same lens mount, so that they can use the same lenses. You can compare the optics available in the Four Thirds Lens Catalog.

Concerning battery life, the E-500 gets 750 shots out of its Olympus BLM-1 battery, while the E-600 can take 500 images on a single charge of its Olympus BLS-1 power pack.

The adjacent table lists the principal physical characteristics of the two cameras alongside a wider set of alternatives. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, you can navigate to the CAM-parator app and make your selection from a broad list of cameras there.

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Body Specifications
  empty Camera
Model
Camera
Width
Camera
Height
Camera
Depth
Camera
Weight
Battery
Life
Weather
Sealing
Camera
Launch
Launch
Price
Street
Price
1.
 
Olympus E-500 130 mm 95 mm 66 mm 479 g 750 n Sep 2005 US$ 599ebay.com
2.
 
Olympus E-600 130 mm 94 mm 60 mm 535 g 500 n Aug 2009 US$ 449ebay.com
3.
 
Olympus E-300 147 mm 85 mm 64 mm 624 g 750 n Sep 2004 US$ 799ebay.com
4.
 
Olympus E-330 140 mm 87 mm 72 mm 637 g 750 n Jan 2006 US$ 999ebay.com
5.
 
Olympus E-400 130 mm 91 mm 53 mm 435 g 500 n Sep 2006 US$ 699ebay.com
6.
 
Olympus E-410 130 mm 91 mm 53 mm 435 g 500 n Mar 2007 US$ 699ebay.com
7.
 
Olympus E-420 130 mm 91 mm 53 mm 440 g 500 n Mar 2008 US$ 599ebay.com
8.
 
Olympus E-450 130 mm 91 mm 53 mm 440 g 500 n Mar 2009 US$ 499ebay.com
9.
 
Olympus E-510 136 mm 92 mm 68 mm 538 g 750 n Mar 2007 US$ 799ebay.com
10.
 
Olympus E-520 136 mm 92 mm 68 mm 535 g 750 n May 2008 US$ 699ebay.com
11.
 
Olympus E-620 130 mm 94 mm 60 mm 521 g 500 n Feb 2009 US$ 699ebay.com
12.
 
Panasonic L10 135 mm 96 mm 78 mm 556 g 450 n Aug 2007 US$ 599ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

Any camera decision will naturally be influenced heavily by the price. The manufacturer’s suggested retail prices give an idea on the placement of the camera in the maker’s lineup and the broader market. The E-600 was launched at a somewhat lower price (by 25 percent) than the E-500, which makes it more attractive for photographers on a tight budget. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down.

Sensor comparison

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tend to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature a Four Thirds sensor and have a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the review cameras among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability. Both cameras feature a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 4:3.

Technology-wise, the E-600 uses a more advanced image processing engine (TruePic III+) than the E-500 (TruePic), with benefits for noise reduction, color accuracy, and processing speed.

Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-600 sensor measures

While the two cameras under review share the same sensor size, the E-600 offers a higher resolution of 12.2 megapixels, compared with 8 MP of the E-500. This megapixels advantage translates into a 24 percent gain in linear resolution. On the other hand, these sensor specs imply that the E-600 has a higher pixel density and a smaller size of the individual pixel (with a pixel pitch of 4.29μm versus 5.30μm for the E-500). However, it should be noted that the E-600 is much more recent (by 3 years and 11 months) than the E-500, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that compensate for the smaller pixel size.

The resolution advantage of the Olympus E-600 implies greater flexibility for cropping images or the possibility to print larger pictures. The maximum print size of the E-600 for good quality output (200 dots per inch) amounts to 20.2 x 15.1 inches or 51.2 x 38.4 cm, for very good quality (250 dpi) 16.1 x 12.1 inches or 41 x 30.7 cm, and for excellent quality (300 dpi) 13.4 x 10.1 inches or 34.1 x 25.6 cm. The corresponding values for the Olympus E-500 are 16.3 x 12.2 inches or 41.5 x 31.1 cm for good quality, 13.1 x 9.8 inches or 33.2 x 24.9 cm for very good quality, and 10.9 x 8.2 inches or 27.6 x 20.7 cm for excellent quality prints.

The Olympus Evolt E-500 has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 400, which can be extended to ISO 100-1600. The corresponding ISO settings for the Olympus E-600 are ISO 100 to ISO 3200 (no boost).

In terms of underlying technology, the E-500 is build around a CCD sensor, while the E-600 uses a CMOS imager. Both cameras use a Bayer filter for capturing RGB colors on a square grid of photosensors. This arrangement is found in most digital cameras.

E-500 versus E-600 MP

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for many cameras. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

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Sensor Characteristics
  empty Camera
Model
Sensor
Class
Resolution
(MP)
Horiz.
Pixels
Vert.
Pixels
Video
Format
DXO
Portrait
DXO
Landscape
DXO
Sports
DXO
Overall
1.
 
Olympus E-500 Four Thirds 8.0 3264 2448none20.710.34551
2.
 
Olympus E-600 Four Thirds 12.2 4032 3024none21.510.354155
3.
 
Olympus E-300 Four Thirds 8.0 3264 2448none20.410.1-4048
4.
 
Olympus E-330 Four Thirds 7.4 3136 2352none20.810.47352
5.
 
Olympus E-400 Four Thirds 10.0 3648 2736none21.010.612753
6.
 
Olympus E-410 Four Thirds 10.0 3648 2736none21.110.049451
7.
 
Olympus E-420 Four Thirds 10.0 3648 2736none21.510.452756
8.
 
Olympus E-450 Four Thirds 10.0 3648 2736none21.510.551256
9.
 
Olympus E-510 Four Thirds 10.0 3648 2736none21.210.044252
10.
 
Olympus E-520 Four Thirds 10.0 3648 2736none21.410.454855
11.
 
Olympus E-620 Four Thirds 12.2 4032 3024none21.310.353655
12.
 
Panasonic L10 Four Thirds 10.0 3648 2736none21.310.842955
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.
The E-600 offers Live View, so that it can project the live image that the sensor receives onto the rear screen for framing. The E-500 lacks this capability. Both cameras are still-image focused and cannot record videos.
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Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The E-500 and the E-600 are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder. The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The viewfinders of both cameras offer the same field of view (95%), but the viewfinder of the E-600 has a higher magnification than the one of the E-500 (0.48x vs 0.45x), so that the size of the image transmitted appears closer to the size seen with the naked human eye. The table below summarizes some of the other core capabilities of the Olympus E-500 and Olympus E-600 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

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Core Features
  empty Camera
Model
Viewfinder
(Type or
000 dots)
Control
Panel
(yes/no)
LCD
Specifications
(inch/000 dots)
LCD
Attach-
ment
Touch
Screen
(yes/no)
Max
Shutter
Speed *
Max
Shutter
Flaps *
Built-in
Flash
(yes/no)
Built-in
Image
Stab
1.
 
Olympus E-500optical n2.5 / 215 fixed n 1/4000s 2.5/s Y n
2.
 
Olympus E-600optical n2.7 / 230 swivel n 1/4000s 4.0/s Y Y
3.
 
Olympus E-300optical n1.8 / 134 fixed n 1/4000s 2.5/s Y n
4.
 
Olympus E-330optical n2.5 / 215 tilting n 1/4000s 3.0/s Y n
5.
 
Olympus E-400optical n2.5 / 215 fixed n 1/4000s 3.0/s Y n
6.
 
Olympus E-410optical n2.5 / 215 fixed n 1/4000s 3.0/s Y n
7.
 
Olympus E-420optical n2.7 / 215 fixed n 1/4000s 3.5/s Y n
8.
 
Olympus E-450optical n2.7 / 215 fixed n 1/4000s 3.5/s Y n
9.
 
Olympus E-510optical n2.5 / 215 fixed n 1/4000s 3.0/s Y Y
10.
 
Olympus E-520optical n2.7 / 215 fixed n 1/4000s 3.5/s Y Y
11.
 
Olympus E-620optical n2.7 / 230 swivel n 1/4000s 4.0/s Y Y
12.
 
Panasonic L10optical n2.5 / 207 swivel n 1/4000s 3.0/s Y n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One feature that differentiates the E-600 and the E-500 is in-body image stabilization (IBIS). The E-600 reduces the risk of handshake-induced blur with all attached lenses, while the E-500 offers no blur reduction with lenses that themselves do not provide optical image stabilization.

The E-600 has an articulated screen that can be turned to be front-facing. This characteristic will be appreciated by vloggers and photographers who are interested in taking selfies. In contrast, the E-500 does not have a selfie-screen.

Concerning the storage of imaging data, both the E-500 and the E-600 write their files to Compact Flash or xD Picture cards. Both cameras feature dual card slots, which can be very useful in case a memory card fails.

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Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Olympus Evolt E-500 and Olympus E-600 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

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Input-Output Connections
  empty Camera
Model
Hotshoe
Port
Internal
Mic / Speaker
Microphone
Port
Headphone
Port
HDMI
Port
USB
Port
WiFi
Support
NFC
Support
Bluetooth
Support
1.
 
Olympus E-500Y- / ----2.0---
2.
 
Olympus E-600Y- / ----2.0---
3.
 
Olympus E-300Y- / ----2.0---
4.
 
Olympus E-330Y- / ----2.0---
5.
 
Olympus E-400Y- / ----2.0---
6.
 
Olympus E-410Y- / ----2.0---
7.
 
Olympus E-420Y- / ----2.0---
8.
 
Olympus E-450Y- / ----2.0---
9.
 
Olympus E-510Y- / ----2.0---
10.
 
Olympus E-520Y- / ----2.0---
11.
 
Olympus E-620Y- / ----2.0---
12.
 
Panasonic L10Y- / ----2.0---

Both the E-500 and the E-600 have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on ebay. The E-500 was replaced by the Olympus E-510, while the E-600 does not have a direct successor. Further information on the features and operation of the E-500 and E-600 can be found, respectively, in the Olympus E-500 Manual (free pdf) or the online Olympus E-600 Manual.

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Review summary

So what conclusions can be drawn? Which of the two cameras – the Olympus E-500 or the Olympus E-600 – has the upper hand? Is one clearly better than the other? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.


Advantages of the Olympus Evolt E-500:

  • Less heavy: Is lighter (by 56g or 10 percent) and hence easier to carry around.
  • Longer lasting: Can take more shots (750 versus 500) on a single battery charge.
  • More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in September 2005).


Reasons to prefer the Olympus E-600:

  • More detail: Has more megapixels (12.2 vs 8MP), which boosts linear resolution by 24%.
  • Better jpgs: Has a more modern image processing engine (TruePic III+ vs TruePic).
  • Larger viewfinder image: Features a viewfinder with a higher magnification (0.48x vs 0.45x).
  • Larger screen: Has a bigger rear LCD (2.7" vs 2.5") for image review and settings control.
  • More flexible LCD: Has a swivel screen for odd-angle shots in portrait or landscape orientation.
  • More selfie-friendly: Has an articulated screen that can be turned to be front-facing.
  • Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (4 vs 2.5 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
  • Sharper images: Has stabilization technology built-in to reduce the impact of hand-shake.
  • More affordable: Was released into a lower priced segment (25 percent cheaper at launch).
  • More modern: Reflects 3 years and 11 months of technical progress since the E-500 launch.

If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the E-600 is the clear winner of the contest (10 : 3 points). However, the pertinence of the various camera strengths will differ across photographers, so that you might want to weigh individual camera traits according to their importance for your own imaging needs before making a camera decision. A professional wedding photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a travel photog, and a person interested in cityscapes has distinct needs from a macro shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

E-500 03:10 E-600

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Olympus E-500 and the Olympus E-600 place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest Best DSLR Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says little about, for example, the shooting experience and imaging performance of the E-500 and the E-600 in practical situations. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate.

Expert reviews

This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent summary-table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

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Expert Camera Reviews
  empty  Camera 
 Model 
 AP 
 score 
 CL 
 score 
 DCW 
 score 
 DPR 
 score 
 EPZ 
 score 
 PB 
 score 
Camera
Launch
Launch
Price
Street
Price
1.
 
Olympus E-500..76/100..+ +.... Sep 2005 US$ 599ebay.com
2.
 
Olympus E-600..........4.5/5 Aug 2009 US$ 449ebay.com
3.
 
Olympus E-300......+o4.5/5 Sep 2004 US$ 799ebay.com
4.
 
Olympus E-330......+o.. Jan 2006 US$ 999ebay.com
5.
 
Olympus E-400..85/100....4/54/5 Sep 2006 US$ 699ebay.com
6.
 
Olympus E-410..86/100..+ +4/54.5/5 Mar 2007 US$ 699ebay.com
7.
 
Olympus E-420..85/100..+ +4/54.5/5 Mar 2008 US$ 599ebay.com
8.
 
Olympus E-450........4/54/5 Mar 2009 US$ 499ebay.com
9.
 
Olympus E-510..89/100..+ +3.5/54.5/5 Mar 2007 US$ 799ebay.com
10.
 
Olympus E-520..87/100..+ +4.5/54.5/5 May 2008 US$ 699ebay.com
11.
 
Olympus E-6203/588/100..72/1004.5/55/5 Feb 2009 US$ 699ebay.com
12.
 
Panasonic L10..85/100..+3.5/54/5 Aug 2007 US$ 599ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

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Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? If you would like to see a different side-by-side camera review, just use the search menu below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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    Specifications: Olympus E-500 vs Olympus E-600

    Below is a side-by-side comparison of the specs of the two cameras to facilitate a quick review of their differences and common features.

    Camera Specifications
    Camera Model Olympus E-500 Olympus E-600
    Camera Type Digital single lens reflex Digital single lens reflex
    Camera Lens Four Thirds lenses Four Thirds lenses
    Launch Date September 2005 August 2009
    Launch Price USD 599 USD 449
    Sensor Specs Olympus E-500 Olympus E-600
    Sensor Technology CCD CMOS
    Sensor Format Four Thirds Sensor Four Thirds Sensor
    Sensor Size 17.3 x 13.0 mm 17.3 x 13.0 mm
    Sensor Area 224.9 mm2 224.9 mm2
    Sensor Diagonal 21.6 mm 21.6 mm
    Crop Factor 2.0x 2.0x
    Sensor Resolution 8 Megapixels 12.2 Megapixels
    Image Resolution 3264 x 2448 pixels 4032 x 3024 pixels
    Pixel Pitch 5.30 μm 4.29 μm
    Pixel Density 3.55 MP/cm2 5.42 MP/cm2
    Moiré control Anti-Alias filter Anti-Alias filter
    Movie Capability no Video no Video
    ISO Setting 100 - 400 ISO 100 - 3,200 ISO
    ISO Boost 100 - 1,600 ISO no Enhancement
    Image Processor TruePic TruePic III+
    DXO Sensor Quality (score) .. 55
    DXO Color Depth (bits) .. 21.5
    DXO Dynamic Range (EV) .. 10.3
    DXO Low Light (ISO) .. 541
    Screen Specs Olympus E-500 Olympus E-600
    Viewfinder Type Optical viewfinder Optical viewfinder
    Viewfinder Field of View 95% 95%
    Viewfinder Magnification 0.45x 0.48x
    LCD Framing Live View
    Rear LCD Size 2.5inch 2.7inch
    LCD Resolution 215k dots 230k dots
    LCD Attachment Fixed screen Swivel screen
    Shooting Specs Olympus E-500 Olympus E-600
    Focus System Phase-detect AF Phase-detect AF
    Continuous Shooting 2.5 shutter flaps/s 4 shutter flaps/s
    Image StabilizationLens stabilization onlyIn-body stabilization
    Fill Flash Built-in Flash Built-in Flash
    Storage Medium CF or XD cards CF or XD cards
    Single or Dual Card Slots Dual card slots Dual card slots
    Connectivity Specs Olympus E-500 Olympus E-600
    External Flash Hotshoe Hotshoe
    USB Connector USB 2.0 USB 2.0
    HDMI Port no HDMI no HDMI
    Wifi Support no Wifi no Wifi
    Body Specs Olympus E-500 Olympus E-600
    Battery Type Olympus BLM-1 Olympus BLS-1
    Battery Life (CIPA)750 shots per charge500 shots per charge
    Body Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66 mm
    (5.1 x 3.7 x 2.6 in)
    130 x 94 x 60 mm
    (5.1 x 3.7 x 2.4 in)
    Camera Weight 479 g (16.9 oz) 535 g (18.9 oz)
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