Olympus E-500


Olympus E-500
Overview
TypeDigital single-lens reflex
Lens
LensInterchangeable (Four Thirds mount)
Sensor/medium
SensorKodak KAF-8300CE Four Thirds System FFT-CCD
Maximum resolution3,264 × 2,448 (8 million)
Film speedISO 50–3200
Storage mediaCompactFlash (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 meteringTTL full-aperture exposure metering system
Metering modesSpot, Center Weighted, Digital ESP
Flash
FlashBuilt-in TTL Speedlight with hotshoe
Flash bracketing+5/−5 EV in 1/3, 1/2 or 1 step
Shutter
ShutterComputerized focal-plane type
Shutter speed range1/4000 to 60 s (max 8 Min in "Bulb" mode)
Continuous shooting2.5 frame/s, unlimited shots (JPEG) or 4 shots (RAW/TIFF)
Viewfinder
ViewfinderOptical TTL with pentamirror
Image processing
White balanceAutomatic, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Direct Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, Preset (in kelvins)
General
LCD screen2.5 in (64 mm), 215 kpixel
BatteryOlympus BLM-1 family
Weight430 g (0.95 lb) without battery
Made inChina

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.

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:

  • Body only (no lens)
  • Body plus 14–45 mm Zuiko Digital lens
  • Body plus 17.5–45 mm Zuiko Digital lens
  • Body plus 14–45 mm and 40–150 mm Zuiko Digital lenses
  • Body plus 17.5–45 mm and 40–150 mm Zuiko Digital lenses (Costco in-store package)

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.

Media related to Olympus E-500 at Wikimedia Commons