Specifications#
- Brand
- Olympus
- Model
- E-500
- Camera type
- DSLR
- Released
- 2005-01-01
- Lens mount
- Four Thirds
- Sensor size
- 17.3 × 13.0 mm (Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds)
- Crop factor
- 2.00×
- Resolution
- 8 MP (3,264 × 2,448 px)
- ISO range
- 50 – 3,200
- Continuous shooting
- 2.5 fps
- Weight
- 430 g (15.2 oz)
- Sensor
- Kodak KAF-8300CE Four Thirds System FFT-CCD
- Storage
- CompactFlash (Type I or Type II); XD card
- Viewfinder
- Optical TTL with pentamirror
- AF points / area
- 3-Point Multiple AF
- Metering
- TTL full-aperture exposure metering system
- Shutter
- Computerized focal-plane type
- Flash
- Built-in TTL Speedlight with hotshoe
- Battery
- Olympus BLM-1 family
- Lens
- Interchangeable (Four Thirds mount)
- Drive
- 2.5 frame/s, unlimited shots (JPEG) or 4 shots (RAW/TIFF)
Specifications merged from Wikipedia, Wikidata, Lensfun and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.
Sensor size compared#
Focal length equivalents & field of view#
Multiply any focal length by 2.00 to get the full-frame field of view. Angles are for a rectilinear lens focused at infinity.
| Lens on this camera | Full-frame equivalent | Horizontal | Vertical | Diagonal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 mm | 16 mm | 94.5° | 78.1° | 107.0° |
| 10 mm | 20 mm | 81.7° | 66.0° | 94.5° |
| 12 mm | 24 mm | 71.6° | 56.8° | 84.1° |
| 14 mm | 28 mm | 63.4° | 49.8° | 75.4° |
| 16 mm | 32 mm | 56.8° | 44.2° | 68.1° |
| 18 mm | 36 mm | 51.3° | 39.7° | 62.0° |
| 20 mm | 40 mm | 46.8° | 36.0° | 56.8° |
| 24 mm | 48 mm | 39.6° | 30.3° | 48.5° |
| 28 mm | 56 mm | 34.3° | 26.1° | 42.2° |
| 35 mm | 70 mm | 27.8° | 21.0° | 34.3° |
| 40 mm | 80 mm | 24.4° | 18.4° | 30.3° |
| 50 mm | 100 mm | 19.6° | 14.8° | 24.4° |
| 56 mm | 112 mm | 17.6° | 13.2° | 21.9° |
| 70 mm | 140 mm | 14.1° | 10.6° | 17.6° |
| 85 mm | 170 mm | 11.6° | 8.7° | 14.5° |
| 100 mm | 200 mm | 9.9° | 7.4° | 12.3° |
| 135 mm | 270 mm | 7.3° | 5.5° | 9.2° |
| 200 mm | 400 mm | 5.0° | 3.7° | 6.2° |
| 300 mm | 600 mm | 3.3° | 2.5° | 4.1° |
| 400 mm | 800 mm | 2.5° | 1.9° | 3.1° |
| 600 mm | 1200 mm | 1.7° | 1.2° | 2.1° |
Depth of field table#
Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 15.0 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor). Detailed tables: 24 mm f/1.8, 24 mm f/2.8, 35 mm f/1.8, 35 mm f/2.8, 50 mm f/1.8, 50 mm f/2.8.
| Focal | Aperture | 50.0 cm | 1.00 m | 2.00 m | 3.00 m | 5.00 m | 10.0 m | Hyperfocal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 mm | f/1.8 | 11.0 cm | 46.4 cm | 2.21 m | 7.21 m | ∞ | ∞ | 4.49 m |
| 11 mm | f/2.8 | 17.5 cm | 77.8 cm | 5.28 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 2.89 m |
| 11 mm | f/4 | 25.8 cm | 1.29 m | 145 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 2.03 m |
| 11 mm | f/8 | 63.4 cm | 51.7 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 1.02 m |
| 22 mm | f/1.8 | 2.7 cm | 10.9 cm | 44.7 cm | 1.03 m | 3.01 m | 16.1 m | 17.9 m |
| 22 mm | f/2.8 | 4.2 cm | 17.1 cm | 70.7 cm | 1.66 m | 5.31 m | 69.2 m | 11.5 m |
| 22 mm | f/4 | 5.9 cm | 24.6 cm | 1.04 m | 2.56 m | 9.97 m | ∞ | 8.09 m |
| 22 mm | f/8 | 12.0 cm | 51.5 cm | 2.58 m | 9.74 m | ∞ | ∞ | 4.06 m |
| 37 mm | f/1.8 | 0.9 cm | 3.8 cm | 15.5 cm | 35.2 cm | 98.8 cm | 4.09 m | 50.7 m |
| 37 mm | f/2.8 | 1.4 cm | 5.9 cm | 24.2 cm | 55.0 cm | 1.56 m | 6.74 m | 32.6 m |
| 37 mm | f/4 | 2.0 cm | 8.5 cm | 34.7 cm | 79.3 cm | 2.28 m | 10.8 m | 22.9 m |
| 37 mm | f/8 | 4.1 cm | 17.0 cm | 70.9 cm | 1.67 m | 5.37 m | 73.6 m | 11.4 m |
| 62 mm | f/1.8 | 0.3 cm | 1.3 cm | 5.4 cm | 12.4 cm | 34.7 cm | 1.40 m | 142 m |
| 62 mm | f/2.8 | 0.5 cm | 2.1 cm | 8.5 cm | 19.3 cm | 54.1 cm | 2.20 m | 91.6 m |
| 62 mm | f/4 | 0.7 cm | 2.9 cm | 12.1 cm | 27.6 cm | 77.5 cm | 3.18 m | 64.1 m |
| 62 mm | f/8 | 1.4 cm | 5.9 cm | 24.3 cm | 55.5 cm | 1.58 m | 6.87 m | 32.1 m |
Equivalent aperture#
Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.
Diffraction & pixel pitch#
With 5.30 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/7.9. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/4.3 and f/8; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.
| Aperture | Airy disk diameter | Spread over | At 100% view |
|---|---|---|---|
| f/2.8 | 3.8 µm | 0.7 px | sharp |
| f/4 | 5.4 µm | 1.0 px | sharp |
| f/5.6 | 7.5 µm | 1.4 px | sharp |
| f/8 | 10.7 µm | 2.0 px | slight softening |
| f/11 | 14.8 µm | 2.8 px | slight softening |
| f/16 | 21.5 µm | 4.1 px | visibly soft |
| f/22 | 29.5 µm | 5.6 px | visibly soft |
Maximum print sizes#
At 8 MP the Olympus E-500 produces 3,264 × 2,448 pixel images. See the 8 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.
| Resolution | Typical use | Inches | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | Photo-lab quality | 10.9 × 8.2 in | 28 × 21 cm |
| 240 DPI | Fine-art inkjet | 13.6 × 10.2 in | 35 × 26 cm |
| 200 DPI | Wall print | 16.3 × 12.2 in | 41 × 31 cm |
| 150 DPI | Poster, viewed from 1 m+ | 21.8 × 16.3 in | 55 × 41 cm |
Night-sky exposure limits#
Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors.
| Focal length | 500 rule | NPF f/1.8 | NPF f/2.8 | NPF f/4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 mm (14 mm eq.) | 35.7 s | 31.7 s | 36.7 s | 42.7 s |
| 10 mm (20 mm eq.) | 25.0 s | 22.2 s | 25.7 s | 29.9 s |
| 12 mm (24 mm eq.) | 20.8 s | 18.5 s | 21.4 s | 24.9 s |
| 18 mm (36 mm eq.) | 13.9 s | 12.3 s | 14.3 s | 16.6 s |
| 25 mm (50 mm eq.) | 10.0 s | 8.9 s | 10.3 s | 12.0 s |
Handheld shutter speed guide#
The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.
| Focal length | No stabilisation (1/equiv. focal) | With 3-stop IS | With 5-stop IBIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 mm | 1/25 s | 0.3 s | 1.3 s |
| 25 mm | 1/50 s | 1/6 s | 0.6 s |
| 50 mm | 1/100 s | 1/13 s | 0.3 s |
| 100 mm | 1/200 s | 1/25 s | 1/6 s |
Lenses for the Olympus E-500#
Native Four Thirds lenses in our database (33 total). Also adaptable: T-mount (T2), M39 / LTM (Leica thread), M42 screw mount, Deckel (DKL).
- Samyang 8mm f/3.5 Fish-Eye CS 8 mm
- Samyang 14mm f/2.8 AE ED AS IF UMC 14 mm
- Samyang 85mm f/1.4 IF UMC Aspherical 85 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/4.0 7–14 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 9–18 mm
- Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC 10–20 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5 11–22 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 SWD 12–60 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 14–45 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 14–54 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 14-35mm F2.0 SWD 14–35 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 14–42 mm
- Panasonic Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-150mm f/3.5-5.6 Asph. OIS 14–150 mm
- Sigma 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC 18–125 mm
- Sigma 18-50mm f/3.5-5.6 DC 18–50 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital 25mm f/2.8 25 mm
- Tokina RMC Tokina 28mm f/2.8 28 mm
- Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM 30 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm f/3.5 Macro 35 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital Pro ED 35-100mm F2.0 35–100 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5 40–150 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 40–150 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 50–200 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 SWD 50–200 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50mm f/2.0 Macro 50 mm
- Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM 50–500 mm
- Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM 50 mm
- Sigma 55-200mm f/4-5.6 DC 55–200 mm
- Olympus Zuiko Digital 70-300mm F4.0-5.6 70–300 mm
- Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro HSM II 70–200 mm
- Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM 70–200 mm
- Tokina TELE-AUTO 135mm f/2.8 135 mm
- Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG APO HSM Macro 150 mm
Similar cameras#
Other Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds cameras from around the same time.
Frequently asked questions#
What is the crop factor of the Olympus E-500?
The Olympus E-500 has a crop factor of 2.00× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 21.6 mm vs 43.3 mm).
What size is the Olympus E-500 sensor?
17.3 × 13.0 mm (Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds), an area of 225 mm² — 26% of full frame.
Is the Olympus E-500 full frame?
No — its sensor is Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds, which is 3.8× smaller in area than full frame.
How many megapixels does the Olympus E-500 have?
8 megapixels (3,264 × 2,448 pixels), enough for a 11 × 8 inch print at 300 DPI.
What lens mount does the Olympus E-500 use?
The Olympus E-500 uses the Four Thirds (flange distance 38.67 mm).
How long can I expose the night sky with the Olympus E-500?
With a 10 mm lens (20 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 25 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 26 s.
Sources & licences#
- Wikipedia: Olympus E-500 — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q1144016 — CC0
- Lensfun camera database — CC BY-SA 3.0
- openMVG sensor width database — MPL-2.0
Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources