Announced in September 2005, the E-500 was the third E-Series digital SLR from Olympus; the fourth, the E-330 was announced in January 2006. The E-500 offers 8 Mpixel resolution and employs a ‘FourThirds’ mount which can accommodate an increasing range of lenses. The conclusion is :

“The Olympus E-500 is a mixed bag with plenty of things going for it, but equally a number of aspects which could be considered deal-breakers by some photographers. Highlights of course include the SSWF anti-dust system, an impressively high level of information and control for a budget body, along with an increasing number of high quality lenses.

On the downside though, the anti-dust process imposes a serious delay every time the camera powers up, the motorised manual focusing (and lack of anti-shake options) could seriously infuriate some photographers, the lack of detail when zooming during playback is disappointing, while the view through the viewfinder has to be one of the smallest from any digital SLR; it’s also a missed opportunity not to automatically switch off the monitor when you go to compose a shot.

Viewed in isolation, many of the bad points could easily outweigh the good ones for some people, but to truly measure the E-500 you have to compare it against the competition. As our Results show, the 8 Mpixel E-500 out-resolves rival 6 Mpixel digital SLRs and compares well with the popular Canon 350D / Digital Rebel XT. Canon’s sensor and image processing may continue to enjoy an edge on noise levels, but the E-500 still performs well.”

Website : Olympus E-500 with Zuiko Digital 14-45mm Review at Camera Labs