Compared to...

Studio scene comparison (vs. Olympus E-300)

This is our standard studio scene comparison shot taken from exactly the same tripod position within minutes of each other. Lighting: daylight simulation, >98% CRI. Crops are 100%. Ambient temperature was approximately 22°C (~72°F).

Camera settings:

• Olympus E-500: Olympus ED 50 mm F2.0 Macro, Aperture Priority (F6.3),
  ISO 100, JPEG SHQ, Manual WB, Default Parameters (Vivid), Self-Timer
   
• Olympus E-300: Olympus ED 50 mm F2.0 Macro, Aperture Priority (F6.3),
  ISO 100, JPEG SHQ, Manual WB, Default Parameters, Self-Timer

Olympus E-500	Olympus E-300
ISO 100, 1/60 sec, F6.3	ISO 100, 1/60 sec, F6.3
5,474 KB JPEG (3264 x 2448)	5,421 KB JPEG (3264 x 2448)

As expected there is virtually no difference between the E-500 and E-300, any slight difference in sharpness can be put down to the E-500's default Vivid mode having a sharpness setting of +1 versus the E-300's sharpness setting of 0 (zero). Color and tonal response were also identical.