Olympus E-20 vs. Olympus E-500 / EVOLT E-500
Comparison
| change cameras » | |||||
|
vs |
|
|||
| Olympus E-20 | Olympus E-500 / EVOLT E-500 | ||||
| check price » | check price » | ||||
Megapixels
4.90
8.00
Max. image resolution
2560 x 1920
3264 x 2448
Sensor
Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
2/3" (~ 8.8 x 6.6 mm)
Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm)
Sensor size comparison
Sensor size is generally a good indicator of the quality of the camera.
Sensors can vary greatly in size. As a general rule, the bigger the
sensor, the better the image quality.
Bigger sensors are more effective because they have more surface area to capture light. An important factor when comparing digital cameras is also camera generation. Generally, newer sensors will outperform the older.
Learn more about sensor sizes »
Bigger sensors are more effective because they have more surface area to capture light. An important factor when comparing digital cameras is also camera generation. Generally, newer sensors will outperform the older.
Learn more about sensor sizes »
Actual sensor size
Note: Actual size is set to screen → change »
|
|
vs |
|
| 1 | : | 3.87 |
| (ratio) | ||
| Olympus E-20 | Olympus E-500 / EVOLT E-500 | |
Surface area:
| 58.08 mm² | vs | 224.90 mm² |
Difference: 166.82 mm² (287%)
E-500 / EVOLT E-500 sensor is approx. 3.87x bigger than E-20 sensor.
Note: You are comparing cameras of different generations.
There is a 4 year gap between Olympus E-20 (2001) and Olympus E-500 / EVOLT E-500 (2005).
All things being equal, newer sensor generations generally outperform the older.
Pixel pitch tells you the distance from the center of one pixel (photosite) to the center of the next. It tells you how close the pixels are to each other.
The bigger the pixel pitch, the further apart they are and the bigger each pixel is. Bigger pixels tend to have better signal to noise ratio and greater dynamic range.
The bigger the pixel pitch, the further apart they are and the bigger each pixel is. Bigger pixels tend to have better signal to noise ratio and greater dynamic range.
Pixel or photosite area affects how much light per pixel can be gathered.
The larger it is the more light can be collected by a single pixel.
Larger pixels have the potential to collect more photons, resulting in greater dynamic range, while smaller pixels provide higher resolutions (more detail) for a given sensor size.
Larger pixels have the potential to collect more photons, resulting in greater dynamic range, while smaller pixels provide higher resolutions (more detail) for a given sensor size.
Relative pixel sizes:
vs
Pixel area difference: 16.19 µm² (136%)
A pixel on Olympus E-500 / EVOLT E-500 sensor is approx. 136% bigger than a pixel on Olympus E-20.
Pixel density tells you how many million pixels fit or would fit in one
square cm of the sensor.
Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.
Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers,
click here.
Specs
Olympus E-20
Olympus E-500 / EVOLT E-500
Total megapixels
5.20
8.90
Effective megapixels
4.90
8.00
Optical zoom
4x
Digital zoom
No
No
ISO sensitivity
80, 160, 320
Auto, 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 50, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200, 4000, 5000, 6400, 8000, 10000, 12800
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
60 cm
Macro focus range
20 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
35 - 140 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.0 - f11.0
Metering
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Centre weighted, ESP Digital, Spot
Exposure compensation
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±5 EV (in 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 1 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
60 sec
B+60 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/640 sec
1/4000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Optical (tunnel)
Optical
White balance presets
5
3
Screen size
1.8"
2.5"
Screen resolution
118,000 dots
215,250 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
SmartMedia, Compact Flash Type I or II
CompactFlash type I, CompactFlash type II, Microdrive, xD Picture
USB
USB 1.0
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
AA (2) batteries (NiMH recommended)
Li-Ion
Weight
1190 g
479 g
Dimensions
129 x 161 x 104 mm
129.5 x 94.5 x 66 mm
Year
2001
2005
Choose cameras to compare
Popular comparisons:
- Olympus E-20 vs. Konica-Minolta DiMAGE A2
- Olympus E-20 vs. Olympus E-1
- Olympus E-20 vs. Nikon D3100
- Olympus E-20 vs. Olympus E-500 / EVOLT E-500
- Olympus E-20 vs. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F828
- Olympus E-20 vs. Minolta DiMAGE A1
- Olympus E-20 vs. Canon PowerShot SX110 IS
- Olympus E-20 vs. Canon EOS 50D
- Olympus E-20 vs. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F717
- Olympus E-20 vs. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50
- Olympus E-20 vs. Canon EOS 10D
Diagonal
Diagonal is calculated by the use of Pythagorean theorem:
where w = sensor width and h = sensor height
| Diagonal = √ | w² + h² |
Olympus E-20 diagonal
The diagonal of E-20 sensor is not 2/3 or 0.67" (16.9 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of
that value - 11 mm. If you want to know why, see
sensor sizes.
w = 8.80 mm
h = 6.60 mm
w = 8.80 mm
h = 6.60 mm
| Diagonal = √ | 8.80² + 6.60² | = 11.00 mm |
Olympus E-500 / EVOLT E-500 diagonal
w = 17.30 mm
h = 13.00 mm
h = 13.00 mm
| Diagonal = √ | 17.30² + 13.00² | = 21.64 mm |
Surface area
Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.
E-20 sensor area
Width = 8.80 mm
Height = 6.60 mm
Surface area = 8.80 × 6.60 = 58.08 mm²
Height = 6.60 mm
Surface area = 8.80 × 6.60 = 58.08 mm²
E-500 / EVOLT E-500 sensor area
Width = 17.30 mm
Height = 13.00 mm
Surface area = 17.30 × 13.00 = 224.90 mm²
Height = 13.00 mm
Surface area = 17.30 × 13.00 = 224.90 mm²
Pixel pitch
Pixel pitch is the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the
next measured in micrometers (µm). It can be calculated with the following formula:
| Pixel pitch = | sensor width in mm | × 1000 |
| sensor resolution width in pixels |
E-20 pixel pitch
Sensor width = 8.80 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2552 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 2552 pixels
| Pixel pitch = | 8.80 | × 1000 | = 3.45 µm |
| 2552 |
E-500 / EVOLT E-500 pixel pitch
Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3262 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 3262 pixels
| Pixel pitch = | 17.30 | × 1000 | = 5.3 µm |
| 3262 |
Pixel area
The area of one pixel can be calculated by simply squaring the pixel pitch:
You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
Pixel area = pixel pitch²
You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
| Pixel area = | sensor surface area in mm² |
| effective megapixels |
E-20 pixel area
Pixel pitch = 3.45 µm
Pixel area = 3.45² = 11.9 µm²
Pixel area = 3.45² = 11.9 µm²
E-500 / EVOLT E-500 pixel area
Pixel pitch = 5.3 µm
Pixel area = 5.3² = 28.09 µm²
Pixel area = 5.3² = 28.09 µm²
Pixel density
Pixel density can be calculated with the following formula:
One could also use this formula:
| Pixel density = ( | sensor resolution width in pixels | )² / 1000000 |
| sensor width in cm |
One could also use this formula:
| Pixel density = | effective megapixels × 1000000 | / 10000 |
| sensor surface area in mm² |
E-20 pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 2552 pixels
Sensor width = 0.88 cm
Pixel density = (2552 / 0.88)² / 1000000 = 8.41 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 0.88 cm
Pixel density = (2552 / 0.88)² / 1000000 = 8.41 MP/cm²
E-500 / EVOLT E-500 pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 3262 pixels
Sensor width = 1.73 cm
Pixel density = (3262 / 1.73)² / 1000000 = 3.56 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 1.73 cm
Pixel density = (3262 / 1.73)² / 1000000 = 3.56 MP/cm²
Sensor resolution
Sensor resolution is calculated from sensor size and effective megapixels. It's slightly higher
than maximum (not interpolated) image resolution which is usually stated on camera specifications.
Sensor resolution is used in pixel pitch, pixel area, and pixel density formula.
For sake of simplicity, we're going to calculate it in 3 stages.
1. First we need to find the ratio between horizontal and vertical length by dividing the former with the latter (aspect ratio). It's usually 1.33 (4:3) or 1.5 (3:2), but not always.
2. With the ratio (r) known we can calculate the X from the formula below, where X is a vertical number of pixels:
3. To get sensor resolution we then multiply X with the corresponding ratio:
Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X
1. First we need to find the ratio between horizontal and vertical length by dividing the former with the latter (aspect ratio). It's usually 1.33 (4:3) or 1.5 (3:2), but not always.
2. With the ratio (r) known we can calculate the X from the formula below, where X is a vertical number of pixels:
| (X × r) × X = effective megapixels × 1000000 → |
|
Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X
E-20 sensor resolution
Sensor width = 8.80 mm
Sensor height = 6.60 mm
Effective megapixels = 4.90
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1919 × 1.33 = 2552
Resolution vertical: X = 1919
Sensor resolution = 2552 x 1919
Sensor height = 6.60 mm
Effective megapixels = 4.90
| r = 8.80/6.60 = 1.33 |
|
Resolution vertical: X = 1919
Sensor resolution = 2552 x 1919
E-500 / EVOLT E-500 sensor resolution
Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor height = 13.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 8.00
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2453 × 1.33 = 3262
Resolution vertical: X = 2453
Sensor resolution = 3262 x 2453
Sensor height = 13.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 8.00
| r = 17.30/13.00 = 1.33 |
|
Resolution vertical: X = 2453
Sensor resolution = 3262 x 2453
Crop factor
Crop factor or focal length multiplier is calculated by dividing the diagonal
of 35 mm film (43.27 mm) with the diagonal of the sensor.
| Crop factor = | 43.27 mm |
| sensor diagonal in mm |
E-20 crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 11.00 mm
| Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 3.93 |
| 11.00 |
E-500 / EVOLT E-500 crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 21.64 mm
| Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 2 |
| 21.64 |
35 mm equivalent aperture
Equivalent aperture (in 135 film terms) is calculated by multiplying lens aperture
with crop factor (a.k.a. focal length multiplier).
E-20 equivalent aperture
Crop factor = 3.93
Aperture = f2.0 - f11.0
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.0 - f11.0) × 3.93 = f7.9 - f43.2
Aperture = f2.0 - f11.0
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.0 - f11.0) × 3.93 = f7.9 - f43.2
E-500 / EVOLT E-500 equivalent aperture
Aperture is a lens characteristic, so it's calculated only for
fixed lens cameras. If you want to know the equivalent aperture for
Olympus E-500 / EVOLT E-500, take the aperture of the lens
you're using and multiply it with crop factor.
Crop factor for Olympus E-500 / EVOLT E-500 is 2
Crop factor for Olympus E-500 / EVOLT E-500 is 2
More comparisons of Olympus E-20:
- Olympus E-20 vs. Olympus E-10
- Olympus E-20 vs. Nikon D40
- Olympus E-20 vs. Olympus E-420
- Olympus E-20 vs. Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- Olympus E-20 vs. Canon EOS 5D
- Olympus E-20 vs. Nikon D3200
- Olympus E-20 vs. Fujifilm FinePix S9500
- Olympus E-20 vs. Nikon D5200
- Olympus E-20 vs. Fujifilm FinePix S9000 Zoom
- Olympus E-20 vs. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F707
Enter your screen size (diagonal)
My screen size is
inches
Actual size is currently adjusted to screen.
If your screen (phone, tablet, or monitor) is not in diagonal, then the actual size of a sensor won't be shown correctly.
If your screen (phone, tablet, or monitor) is not in diagonal, then the actual size of a sensor won't be shown correctly.