Specifications#
- Brand
- Olympus
- Model
- SP-500 Ultra Zoom
- Also known as
- Olympus SP 500 UZ, Olympus SP-500 UZ, SP500UZ
- Camera type
- Compact
- Sensor size
- 5.8 × 4.3 mm (1/2.5" sensor)
- Crop factor
- 6.00×
Specifications merged from Wikidata, Lensfun and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.
Sensor size compared#
Focal length equivalents & field of view#
Multiply any focal length by 6.00 to get the full-frame field of view. For fixed-lens cameras use the real focal length printed on the lens (e.g. “6.1–18.3 mm”), not the 35 mm equivalent.
| Lens on this camera | Full-frame equivalent | Horizontal | Vertical | Diagonal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | 24 mm | 71.4° | 57.1° | 84.1° |
| 4.5 mm | 27 mm | 65.1° | 51.6° | 77.4° |
| 5 mm | 30 mm | 59.8° | 47.0° | 71.6° |
| 6 mm | 36 mm | 51.2° | 39.9° | 62.0° |
| 8 mm | 48 mm | 39.5° | 30.4° | 48.5° |
| 10 mm | 60 mm | 32.1° | 24.5° | 39.6° |
| 12 mm | 72 mm | 26.9° | 20.5° | 33.4° |
| 15 mm | 90 mm | 21.7° | 16.5° | 27.0° |
| 20 mm | 120 mm | 16.4° | 12.4° | 20.4° |
| 25 mm | 150 mm | 13.1° | 9.9° | 16.4° |
| 30 mm | 180 mm | 10.9° | 8.3° | 13.7° |
| 40 mm | 240 mm | 8.2° | 6.2° | 10.3° |
| 50 mm | 300 mm | 6.6° | 5.0° | 8.2° |
| 70 mm | 420 mm | 4.7° | 3.6° | 5.9° |
| 100 mm | 600 mm | 3.3° | 2.5° | 4.1° |
| 150 mm | 900 mm | 2.2° | 1.7° | 2.8° |
Depth of field table#
Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 5.0 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor).
| Focal | Aperture | 50.0 cm | 1.00 m | 2.00 m | 3.00 m | 5.00 m | 10.0 m | Hyperfocal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | f/2 | 34.3 cm | 2.03 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 1.60 m |
| 4 mm | f/2.8 | 53.5 cm | 7.24 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 1.15 m |
| 4 mm | f/4 | 1.01 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 80.4 cm |
| 4 mm | f/8 | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 40.4 cm |
| 7 mm | f/2 | 10.2 cm | 42.3 cm | 1.95 m | 5.84 m | ∞ | ∞ | 4.91 m |
| 7 mm | f/2.8 | 14.4 cm | 61.7 cm | 3.37 m | 19.1 m | ∞ | ∞ | 3.51 m |
| 7 mm | f/4 | 21.0 cm | 97.0 cm | 9.61 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 2.46 m |
| 7 mm | f/8 | 48.0 cm | 4.72 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 1.23 m |
| 12 mm | f/2 | 3.4 cm | 13.8 cm | 56.3 cm | 1.30 m | 3.94 m | 26.7 m | 14.4 m |
| 12 mm | f/2.8 | 4.8 cm | 19.4 cm | 80.3 cm | 1.90 m | 6.34 m | 339 m | 10.3 m |
| 12 mm | f/4 | 6.8 cm | 28.0 cm | 1.20 m | 3.01 m | 13.3 m | ∞ | 7.21 m |
| 12 mm | f/8 | 13.8 cm | 59.3 cm | 3.18 m | 16.0 m | ∞ | ∞ | 3.61 m |
| 20 mm | f/2 | 1.2 cm | 4.9 cm | 19.8 cm | 44.9 cm | 1.26 m | 5.32 m | 40.0 m |
| 20 mm | f/2.8 | 1.7 cm | 6.9 cm | 27.8 cm | 63.3 cm | 1.80 m | 7.96 m | 28.6 m |
| 20 mm | f/4 | 2.4 cm | 9.8 cm | 40.0 cm | 91.4 cm | 2.65 m | 13.3 m | 20.0 m |
| 20 mm | f/8 | 4.8 cm | 19.8 cm | 82.4 cm | 1.96 m | 6.62 m | 4.7 km | 10.0 m |
Equivalent aperture#
Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.
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. (NPF needs a known resolution and is omitted here.)
| Focal length | 500 rule |
|---|---|
| 4 mm (24 mm eq.) | 20.8 s |
| 5 mm (30 mm eq.) | 16.7 s |
| 6 mm (36 mm eq.) | 13.9 s |
| 7 mm (42 mm eq.) | 11.9 s |
| 8 mm (48 mm eq.) | 10.4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | 1/25 s | 0.3 s | 1.3 s |
| 8 mm | 1/50 s | 1/6 s | 0.6 s |
| 17 mm | 1/100 s | 1/13 s | 0.3 s |
| 33 mm | 1/200 s | 1/25 s | 1/6 s |
Lens#
The Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom has a built-in, non-interchangeable lens. Use the real focal length of that lens with the tables above; its full-frame equivalent is that number × 6.00.
Similar cameras#
Other 1/2.5" cameras from around the same time.
Frequently asked questions#
What is the crop factor of the Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom?
The Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom has a crop factor of 6.00× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 7.2 mm vs 43.3 mm).
What size is the Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom sensor?
5.8 × 4.3 mm (1/2.5"), an area of 25 mm² — 3% of full frame.
Is the Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom full frame?
No — its sensor is 1/2.5", which is 34.5× smaller in area than full frame.
How long can I expose the night sky with the Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom?
With a 5 mm lens (30 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 17 s.
Sources & licences#
- Wikipedia: Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q7089253 — 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