What is the maximum CompactFlash card size an Olympus E-500 can use?
Asked 10/12/2020
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I have an Olympus E-500 that currently uses 1GB xD cards, and I’d like to use CompactFlash instead. The manual and reviews don’t clearly state the real maximum CF card size. Olympus support information says the E-500 accepts CompactFlash cards up to 8GB, but some users report that larger cards such as 16GB or even bigger can still work.
How can I determine the practical maximum card size with good confidence, and are there any caveats when using larger modern CF cards in this older camera?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
3
In addition to actual hardware (and there are counterfeit cards that are smaller that what the label says), the real limit is how the card id formatted. There are three ways to format cards:
Name SD Card type Max capacity Max file FAT16 SD 4GB 2GB(1) FAT32 SDHC 32GB(2) 4GB exFAT SDXC 16EB(3) 64ZB(3)- 4GB possible but not always supported
- 256GB in theory but Windows only supports 32GB
- Much bigger than any foreseeable hardware capacity
Format a card with your camera and determine its filesystem type, this will give you a first idea. Since the E500 appeared in 2005, it predates the exFAT so at best it supports FAT32.
Originally by user75947. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75947
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The safest published limit is 8GB for CompactFlash on the Olympus E-500. That’s the size Olympus states, so it’s the best “official” answer.
Larger cards may still work, but compatibility is less certain and may depend on how the card is formatted. Because the E-500 is a 2005 camera, it predates exFAT, so you should assume it supports older filesystems only, likely FAT16 or possibly FAT32. In general, if the camera can format the card itself, that’s the best sign it will work properly.
Practical caveats with oversized cards in older cameras:
- the camera may only recognize part of the total capacity
- shot remaining counters may be inaccurate
- startup/card access may become slow
- cards formatted as exFAT are unlikely to work unless reformatted in-camera or to an older filesystem
Best approach: use a card the camera can format itself, test it fully, and prefer modest capacities rather than very large modern cards. For dependable operation, stay at or below 8GB; anything above that is experimental rather than guaranteed.
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