Compared to... (features & specifications)
Despite its budget price level the E-500 provides a variety of advantages over the competition, these include the Supersonic Wave Filter, unlimited continuous shooting (with a fast card), a larger LCD monitor, lightweight yet robust build and an overall wider variety of functions and settings. Disadvantages include the small viewfinder view, USB 1.1 transfer speed, a lack of a status LCD and the not-instant startup time. As always we must emphasize that features are only one part of the decision process and that we would always put more weight on image quality, which is compared on the following pages.
![]() Olympus E-500 EVOLT |
![]() Canon EOS 350D |
![]() Nikon D50 |
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Price body only | $699 | $849 | $649 |
Price kit | $799 | $899 | $799 |
Announced | 26 Sep 05 | 17 Feb 05 | 20 Apr 05 |
Review | You are here | Click here | Click here |
Kit lens | 14 - 45 mm F3.5 - F4.5 (28 - 90 mm equiv.) |
18 - 55 mm F3.5 - F5.6 II (28.8 - 88 mm equiv.) |
18 - 55 mm F3.5 - F5.6G (27 - 82.5 mm equiv.) |
Body | Plastic | Plastic | Plastic |
Sensor | 8 megapixel CCD | 8 megapixel CMOS | 6 megapixel CCD |
Dust protection | Supersonic Wave Filter | None | None |
Lens mount | Four Thirds | Canon EF / EF-S | Nikon F |
FOV crop | 2.0x (Four Thirds) | 1.6x | 1.5x (Nikon DX) |
Shading comp. | Yes, optional | No | No |
Modes | Auto, P, S, A, M, 5 preset scene (15 via menu) | Auto, P, A, S, M, A-DEP, 6 preset scene | Auto, P, S, A, M, 6 preset scene |
Image formats | JPEG, TIFF, RAW | JPEG, RAW | JPEG, RAW |
RAW+JPEG | One RAW, One JPEG | One RAW, One JPEG | One RAW, One JPEG |
Image params | Gradation (3 settings) Saturation (5 settings) Contrast (5 settings) Sharpness (5 settings) 5 preset parameter sets |
Contrast (5 settings) Sharpness (5 settings) Saturation (5 settings) Color tone (5 settings) 3 preset parameter sets |
Auto Sharpness (6 settings) Tone (6 settings) Saturation (3 settings) Hue (7 settings) 7 preset parameter sets |
Color space | sRGB, Adobe RGB | sRGB, Adobe RGB | sRGB (2), Adobe RGB |
ISO | 100 - 400 (1/3 EV steps) 800, 1600 via boost |
100 - 1600 (1 EV steps) | 200 - 1600 (1 EV steps) |
EV steps | 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV | 1/3 or 1/2 EV | 1/3 or 1/2 EV |
Exp. compen. | +/- 5.0 EV | +/- 2.0 EV | +/- 5.0 EV |
Flash exp compen. | -2.0 to +2.0 EV | -2.0 to +2.0 EV | -3.0 to +1.0 EV |
Metering | 49 area sensor | 35 area sensor | 420 segment sensor |
Metering modes | ESP, CW Avg, Spot | 35 zone, Partial, CW Avg | 3D matrix II, CW Avg, Spot |
Shutter | 60 - 1/4000 sec | 30 - 1/4000 sec | 30 - 1/4000 sec |
Flash X-sync | 1/180 sec | 1/200 sec | External up to 1/500 sec |
AF system | 3-point TTL Phase Differential |
7-point TTL CMOS sensor |
5-point Multi-CAM900 |
AF mode | Single, Continuous | One shot, AI Servo, Auto | Auto, Single, Continuous |
AF area mode | Auto, Single | Single, Dynamic | Single, Dynamic, Closest |
AF assist | Flash strobe, must be up | Flash strobe, must be up | White lamp |
Continuous *1 | JPEG: 2.7 fps, 15/∞ images RAW: 2.7 fps, 4 images |
JPEG: 2.9 fps, 27 images RAW: 2.9 fps, 6 images |
JPEG: 2.5 fps, 16 images RAW: 2.5 fps, 4 images |
Self-timer | 2 or 12 sec | 10 sec (3 sec with mirror lock-up) |
2, 5, 10 or 20 sec |
Mirror lock-up | Yes, with custom delay | Yes, custom function | No |
WB | Auto, 7 preset, Manual, Kelvin | Auto, 6 preset, Manual | Auto, 6 preset, Manual |
WB fine tuning | Yes | Yes | No |
Bracketing | AE, White Balance, Manual Focus | AE, White Balance | AE, White Balance |
Flash release | Electronic (manual / auto) | Electronic (manual / auto) | Electronic (manual / auto) |
Flash sync | Front or Rear curtain, Manual control (4 levels) | Front or Rear curtain | Front or Rear curtain |
Viewfinder | Pentaprism Eyepoint: 16 mm Magnification: 0.9x (-3.0 to +1.0 m-1 dioptre) |
Pentamirror Eyepoint: 21 mm Magnification: 0.8x (-3.0 to +1.0 m-1 diopter) |
Pentamirror Eyepoint: 18 mm Magnification: 0.75x (-1.6 to +0.5 m-1 dioptre) |
Viewfinder view | Small | Medium | Medium |
LCD | 2.5", 215,250 pixels | 1.8", 115,000 pixels | 2.0", 130,000 pixels |
Orientation sensor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Custom functions | n/a, 2 setup menus | 9 functions with 24 settings | 6 or 20 settings |
Storage | CF
FAT16 / FAT32 xD-Picture Card |
CF FAT16 / FAT32 | Secure Digital (SD) |
Power | Lithium-Ion BLM-1 | Lithium-Ion NB-2LH | Lithium-Ion EN-EL3 |
Connectivity | USB 1.1 | USB 2.0 (Hi-speed) | USB 2.0 (Hi-speed) |
Play modes | 7 display modes | 3 display modes | 5 display modes |
Play edit | RAW development | No | Small picture |
Review delete | No | Yes | Yes |
Text comment | No | Yes (set via PC software) | Yes (set on camera) |
PictBridge | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Dimensions | 130 x 95 x 66 mm | 127 x 94 x 64 mm | 133 x 102 x 76 mm |
Weight (no batt) | 435 g | 490 g | 540 g |
Remote release | Infrared (optional) | Wired (optional) Infrared (optional) |
Infrared (optional) |
Vertical grip | No | Yes, optional | No |
Status LCD | No (uses LCD monitor) | Rear of camera, backlit | Top of camera |
Command dials | One top | One top | One rear |
Power on | 1.6 - 1.7 sec | Virtually instant | Virtually instant |
Shutter release | Very fast | Fast | Very fast |
Build quality | Very good | Good | Very good |
Grip comfort | Good | Poor | Good |
*1 Results of our own testing, with a fast card the E-500 can shoot JPEG until the card is full
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