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Nikon P500 vs Olympus SH-50 Comparison

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Nikon P500

12 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon P500
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Olympus SH-50

16 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Olympus SH-50
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Nikon P500 vs Olympus SH-50 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing P500 and SH-50, two Small Sensor Superzoom cameras from Nikon and Olympus. Nikon P500 was introduced to market in February 2011 and Olympus SH-50 was launched in January 2013. There is 23 months difference between P500 and SH-50 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger SH-50, especially in sensor tech.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon P500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-02-09
  • 12MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 3200
  • 23-810 mm F3.4-5.7 Zoom Lens
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • Electronic viewfinder
  • 1.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 240fps High-Speed Video
  • 494g. 116 x 84 x 103 mm

Olympus SH-50 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2013-01-08
  • 16MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • 25-600 mm F3.0-6.9 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • 12.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 269g. 112 x 63 x 42 mm

Nikon P500 was replaced by Nikon Coolpix P510. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon Coolpix P510 vs Nikon Coolpix P500
Nikon Coolpix P510 vs Olympus SH-50

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix P500 over Olympus SH-50
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder
Electronic vs None Better framing and control
LCD Resolution
921k dots vs 460k dots 100% higher resolution screen
Focal Length - Wide
23mm vs 25mm 2 mm wider coverage
Focal Length - Tele
810mm vs 600mm 210 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom
36× vs 24× more flexible focal coverage
Max Aperture - Tele
5.70 vs 6.90 faster lens at tele
Flash Coverage
8.0m vs 4.0m 4m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
2.34µm2 vs 1.76µm2 32% larger pixel area
CHECK P500 PRICE


Reasons to choose Olympus SH-50 over Nikon Coolpix P500
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Sensor Resolution
16 MP vs 12 MP 33% more pixels
Max ISO
6.400 vs 3.200 100% higher Max ISO
Max Mech. Shutter
1/2000s vs 1/1500s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
12.0fps vs 1.0fps 11 fps faster
Weight
269 g vs 494 g 225 g lighter
Max Aperture - Wide
3.00 vs 3.40 faster lens at wide
CHECK SH-50 PRICE

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix P500 and Olympus SH-50
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs Optical Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Manual Focusing
Yes vs Yes both have manual focusing modes
Manual Exposure
Yes vs Yes better exposure control
Focal Length - Tele
810mm vs 600mm Very good Telezoom
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix P500 and Olympus SH-50
External Flash Shoe
No vs No Not suitable for flash photography
RAW Support
No vs No Lower image quality
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Max Aperture - Tele
5.70 vs 6.90 Slow lenses at tele
New4
Nikon P500 vs Olympus SH-50: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon P500 has external dimensions of 116 x 84 x 10 mm (4.57 x 3.31 x 4.06″) and weighs 494 g (1.09 lb / 17.43 oz) (including batteries). Olympus SH-50 has external dimensions of 112 x 63 x 42 mm (4.41 x 2.48 x 1.65″) and weighs 269 g (0.59 lb / 9.49 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50. Olympus SH-50 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 4mm narrower, 21mm shorter and 61mm thinner than Nikon P500.

Nikon P500 vs Olympus SH-50 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50.

Nikon P500 vs Olympus SH-50 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50.
Nikon P500 vs Olympus SH-50 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus SH-50 is significantly lighter (225g ) than the Nikon P500 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

P500
SH-50
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

P500
SH-50
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix P500 nor Olympus SH-50 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Bridge Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Nikon P500 features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Olympus SH-50 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to P500.
Nikon P500 vs Olympus SH-50: Sensor Comparison

Nikon P500 has a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed C2 processor. On the other hand, Olympus SH-50 has a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features TruePic VI processor.

Below you can see the P500 and SH-50 sensor size comparison.

Nikon P500 vs Olympus SH-50 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50 Cameras


Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Nikon P500 has 32% larger pixel area compared to Olympus SH-50, it has potential to collect more light on pixel level hence have less noise in low light / High ISO images.

Nikon P500 vs Olympus SH-50 Lens Specs Comparison

Nikon P500 features a 23-810 mm F3.4-5.7 36× zoom lens whereas Olympus SH-50 features a 25-600 mm F3.0-6.9 24× zoom lens.

Nikon P500 has 2mm wider coverage than the Olympus SH-50. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f3.00, Olympus SH-50 is faster at widest end. On the tele end, Nikon P500 has 210mm longer reach than the Olympus SH-50. At f5.70, it is also faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

DSLR-Like Cameras

P500
SH-50
Widest - Samsung WB2200F
Average
Telezoom

Compact Cameras

P500
SH-50
Longest - Nikon P1000
Average
Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

P500
SH-50
Fastest - Olympus 1
Average
Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

P500
SH-50
Fastest - Sony RX10 III
Average
What types of Photography are Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon P500 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus SH-50 for Portrait Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus SH-50 for Street Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus SH-50 for Sports Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
810 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1500s
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Fast Continuous Shooting: 12.0fps
Wireless Connection
600 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.90
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus SH-50 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
35.2X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
494g
Body Thickness 103mm
Read the details
Compact Body
269g
24.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Body Thickness 42mm
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus SH-50 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon P500 vs Olympus SH-50: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon P500 and Olympus SH-50 scores compare:

Nikon P500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #51 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #599 out of 1257 in all Cameras
Olympus SH-50
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #101 out of 477 in Compact cameras
Ranked #618 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Nikon P500 has a higher Overall Score than the Olympus SH-50 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon P500
Nikon P500
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Olympus SH-50
Olympus SH-50
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Olympus SH-50 vs Nikon P500 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix P500 Olympus SH-50
Brand Nikon Olympus
Announced 2011-02-09 2013-01-08
Body Type SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch 1/2.3-inch
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area 28.07mm2 28.07mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 3,200 ISO 6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 ISO 125 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 9 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens Focal Range 23-810 mm (36×) 25-600 mm (24×)
Max Aperture F3.4-5.7 F3.0-6.9
Macro Focus Range 1cm 5cm
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 921k dots 460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/1500s 1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 8.00 m 4.00 m
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 1.0 fps 12.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 494g 269g
Dimensions 116 x 84 x 103mm 112 x 63 x 42mm
Battery Life 220 shots n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
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