Olympus E-500

Last updated
Olympus E-500
Olympus E-500 with Minolta MD Lens (5391265164).jpg
Overview
Type Digital single-lens reflex
Lens
Lens Interchangeable (Four Thirds mount)
Sensor/medium
Sensor Kodak KAF-8300CE Four Thirds System FFT-CCD
Maximum resolution 3,264 × 2,448 (8 million)
Film speed ISO 50–3200
Storage media CompactFlash (Type I or Type II); XD card
Focusing
Focus modesSingle shot AF, Continuous AF and/or Manual
Focus areas3-Point Multiple AF
Exposure/metering
Exposure modesAutomatic, Portrait, Landscape, Landscape and Portrait, Macro, Sport, Night Portrait, Night Scene, Children, High Key, Low Key, Candle, Sunset, Fireworks, Documents, Beach and Snow, Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority
Exposure metering TTL full-aperture exposure metering system
Metering modes Spot, Center Weighted, Digital ESP
Flash
Flash Built-in TTL Speedlight with hotshoe
Flash bracketing +5/−5 EV in 1/3, 1/2 or 1 step
Shutter
Shutter Computerized focal-plane type
Shutter speed range1/4000 to 60 s (max 8 Min in "Bulb" mode)
Continuous shooting 2.5 frame/s, unlimited shots (JPEG) or 4 shots (RAW/TIFF)
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical TTL with pentamirror
Image processing
White balance Automatic, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Direct Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, Preset (in kelvins)
General
LCD screen2.5 in (64 mm), 215 kpixel
BatteryOlympus BLM-1 family
Weight 430 g (0.95 lb) without battery
Made in China

The Olympus E-500 (Olympus EVOLT E-500 in North America) is an 8-megapixel digital SLR camera manufactured by Olympus of Japan and based on the Four Thirds System. It was announced on 26 September 2005. Like the E-300 launched the previous year, it uses a Full Frame Transfer (17.3 x 13 mm) Kodak KAF-8300CE CCD imaging chip.

Features

Unlike the E-300 and the E-300's successor, the Olympus E-330, the E-500 retains the traditional SLR appearance, with a humped pentamirror box instead of the E-300's unique Porro mirror arrangement. The mirror box also bears the onboard flash. The viewfinder hump means the E-500 is taller than the E-300, but in other dimensions it is smaller.

The E-500 uses Olympus' patented Supersonic Wave Filter dust reduction system to shake dust from the sensor during startup and when requested by the user; this largely eliminates the problem of dust accumulation on the surface of the image sensor. Image processing is done with Olympus' TruePic Turbo system.

E-500 advertised in New York City. Olympus-Evolt-500.jpg
E-500 advertised in New York City.

Improvements over the E-300 include a 2.5-inch (64 mm) rear LCD screen, 49 zone metering (the E-300's total is undocumented, but believed to be 3), spot metering, an RGB histogram to identify clipping across the three color channels in post-shot review, optional improved noise filtering for low-light photography, and the ability to apply software color filters in black-and-white shooting.

In a buyers guide distributed by the UK Digital SLR magazine (December 06, 2nd edition), the Olympus E-500 camera was identified as an intermediate digital SLR camera — capable of functioning as a professional tool in most situations, well above what the average street price of £379 (at time of article) reflects.

The E-500 was available in five different packages in the United States; these were:

The successor to the E-500 is the E-510. Released in 2007, the E-510 provides several feature improvements including a new 10-megapixel Live MOS Sensor with claimed lower image noise at high ISO compared to the E-500, LiveView and in-body Image Stabilization in approximately the same body size as the E-500.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Olympus E-500 at Wikimedia Commons

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Thirds system</span> Digital camera design standard

The Four Thirds System is a standard created by Olympus and Eastman Kodak for digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) design and development. Four Thirds refers to both the size of the image sensor (4/3") as well as the aspect ratio (4:3). The Olympus E-1 was the first Four Thirds DSLR, announced and released in 2003. In 2008, Olympus and Panasonic began publicizing the Micro Four Thirds system, a mirrorless camera system which used the same sensor size; by eliminating the reflex mirror, the Micro Four Thirds cameras were significantly smaller than the Four Thirds cameras. The first Micro Four Thirds cameras were released in 2009 and the final Four Thirds cameras were released in 2010; by that time, approximately 15 Four Thirds camera models had been released by Olympus and Panasonic in total. The Four Thirds system was quietly discontinued in 2017, six years after the final cameras were released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macro photography</span> Photography genre and techniques of extreme close-up pictures

Macro photography is extreme close-up photography, usually of very small subjects and living organisms like insects, in which the size of the subject in the photograph is greater than life-size . By the original definition, a macro photograph is one in which the size of the subject on the negative or image sensor is life-size or greater. In some senses, however, it refers to a finished photograph of a subject that is greater than life-size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympus E-1</span> Digital camera model

The Olympus E-1, introduced in 2003, was the first DSLR system camera designed from the ground up for digital photography This contrasts with its contemporaries which offered systems based on reused parts from previous 135 film systems, modified to fit with a sensor size of APS-C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital single-lens reflex camera</span> Digital cameras combining the parts of a single-lens reflex camera and a digital camera back

A digital single-lens reflex camera is a digital camera that combines the optics and mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a solid-state image sensor and digitally records the images from the sensor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympus E-300</span> Digital camera model

The Olympus E-300 is an 8-megapixel digital SLR manufactured by Olympus of Japan and based on the Four Thirds System. Announced at photokina 2004, it became available at the end of 2004. It was the second camera to use the Four Thirds System, and the first intended for the consumer market.

The Olympus OM System was a line of 35mm single-lens reflex cameras, lenses and accessories sold by Olympus between 1972 and 2002. The system was introduced by Olympus in 1972. The range was designed by Yoshihisa Maitani, chief designer for Olympus, and his staff; OM stands for Olympus Maitani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympus E-330</span> Digital camera model

The Olympus E-330 is a DSLR launched on 30 January 2006, using the Four Thirds System lens mount standard. Its main feature is its live image preview functionality, permitting an image to be previewed on the LCD screen. While live image preview is not new in compact digital cameras, the E-330 is significant because it was the first digital SLR to offer this feature. With the ability to digitally zoom in 10× before taking a picture, it is very well suited for exact manual focussing, for example in macro photography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sigma SD14</span> Camera model

The Sigma SD14 is a digital single-lens reflex camera produced by the Sigma Corporation of Japan. It is fitted with a Sigma SA mount which takes Sigma SA lenses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympus E-400</span> Digital camera model

The Olympus E-400 is a digital single-lens reflex camera launched by Olympus on 14 September 2006, using the Four Thirds System lens mount standard. This 10 megapixel camera could be compared to other DSLRs unveiled during the summer of 2006 with comparable pixel count and price range: the Sony α 100, the Nikon D80, the Canon EOS 400D and the Pentax K10D.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympus E-510</span> Digital camera model

The Olympus E-510 is a 10-megapixel digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera oriented to the "prosumer" or "hobbyist" market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympus E-410</span> Digital camera model

The Olympus E-410 is a 10 megapixel digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera intended be the smallest and lightest DSLR on the market. Announced in March 2007 to succeed the E-400, it adds a live preview function and a new "Olympus TruePic III" processing chip that is claimed to provide better performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dust reduction system</span>

A dust reduction system, or dust removal system, is used in several makes of digital cameras to remove dust from the image sensor. Every time lenses are changed, dust may enter the camera body and settle on the image sensor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympus E-3</span> Digital camera model

The Olympus E-3 was until 2010 Olympus Corporation's flagship camera, positioned as a professional DSLR camera. It is the successor to the Olympus E-1, which was launched in November 2003. The E-3, originally codenamed Olympus E-P1, was announced on 17 October 2007. The E-3, like the other cameras in the Olympus E-series, conforms to the Four Thirds system. It was succeeded in 2010 by the Olympus E-5 professional DSLR flagship camera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympus E-420</span> Camera produced by Olympus

The Olympus E-420 is a 10 megapixel digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera made by Olympus. The camera conforms to the Four Thirds System standard, and together with its siblings in the E-4XX series, it is marketed as the smallest DSLR in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympus E-520</span> Digital camera model

The Olympus E-520 is a 10 megapixel digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micro Four Thirds system</span> Digital camera design standard

The Micro Four Thirds system is a standard released by Olympus Imaging Corporation and Panasonic in 2008, for the design and development of mirrorless interchangeable lens digital cameras, camcorders and lenses. Camera bodies are available from Blackmagic, DJI, JVC, Kodak, Olympus, OM System, Panasonic, Sharp, and Xiaomi. MFT lenses are produced by Cosina Voigtländer, Kowa, Kodak, Mitakon, Olympus, Panasonic, Samyang, Sharp, Sigma, SLR Magic, Tamron, Tokina, TTArtisan, Veydra, Xiaomi, Laowa, Yongnuo, Zonlai, Lensbaby, Venus Optics and 7artisans amongst others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kodak DCS</span>

The Kodak Digital Camera System is a series of digital single-lens reflex cameras and digital camera backs that were released by Kodak in the 1990s and 2000s, and discontinued in 2005. They are all based on existing 35mm film SLRs from Nikon, Canon and Sigma. The range includes the original Kodak DCS, the first commercially available digital SLR.

This article discusses the cameras – mainly 35 mm SLRs – manufactured by Pentax Ricoh Imaging Corp. and its predecessors, Pentax Corporation and Asahi Optical Co., Ltd.. Pentax must not be confused with Pentax 6x7 or Pentax 67 which are 120 medium format 6x7cm film cameras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympus E-5</span> Digital camera model

The Olympus E-5 was Olympus Corporation's flagship camera, positioned as a professional DSLR camera. It is the successor to the Olympus E-3, which was launched on October 17, 2007. The E-5 was announced on September 14, 2010. The E-5, like the other cameras in the Olympus E-series, conforms to the Four Thirds System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3</span> Camera model

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 is a digital mirrorless interchangeable lens camera adhering to the joint Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds System (MFT) system design standard. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 is the eighth Panasonic MFT camera introduced under the standard and the thirteenth model MFT camera introduced by either Olympus or Panasonic, as of the G3 product announcement date.