Olympus E-450 vs Olympus E-500: read noise comparison

The Olympus E-450 was measured at 5 ISO settings from ISO 100 to ISO 1600. Values were derived by Bill Claff from DxOMark lab data.

At base ISO (100) read noise is 3.23 DN. From ISO 400 up the camera is effectively ISO-invariant: raising ISO further doesn't meaningfully lower shadow noise.

The Olympus E-500 was measured at 13 ISO settings from ISO 100 to ISO 1600. Values are Bill Claff's (Photons to Photos) direct measurements from raw files.

At base ISO (100) read noise is 2.08 DN, or 14.6 electrons at the sensor. From ISO 100 up the camera is effectively ISO-invariant: raising ISO further doesn't meaningfully lower shadow noise. Full well at base ISO is about 28,297 electrons; unity gain is around ISO 700.