Is the E1 a better camera than the E500?/

U thought the e500 had the same sensor?

IMHO, the E-1 is a better made camera than the E-500. Now, you have to look at who the E-1 is made for. It's made for somebody like me, who uses the camera body as a professional tool, nothing more. I've kicked my E-1 bodies, they've fell off of bleachers, they've gotten wet in the rain shooting football, and they keep on working because they're engineered to withstand that type of abuse and useage. The E-500 isn't. Compare the body construction and materials that go into each body and that will show you the biggest difference. One's all metal, the other is mostly plastic. Now, is the E-500 a good body? You bet it is, I've told a bunch of my friends to buy it. Would I use one? Yes under certain circumstances. Is it a professional beater that can withstand the daily abuse heaped on a professional body? No.

So the E500 will produce the same quaility pictures that the E1 will. I was thinking of buying a back up body, should I just buy the E1 or E330 or another E500?

If the E1 is as tough as Marc2B4 says it is ans I was in your line of work, that's what I would carry.
Greg

Tyson, If you're already familiar wwith the E-500, buy an E-500. You wanted an opinion on the differences, in terms of image quality, it all depends on the software you're using to massage the image, and what your final print size is going to be. In terms of durability, there isn't any comparison. The E-1 is built like a tank.

Mark

The E-1 is a pro-quality body, but the sensor is a few years old and pretty low resolution by current standards. The difference between a "pro" body and a consumer body often has more to do with durability and features than image quality. And that's definitely the case with the E-1. The E-1 has some level of weatherproofing, and it's much sturdier and heavier than other E-Series Olympus bodies. If the more rugged build is something that interests you, you might want to wait a month or so. It's a pretty sure bet that Olympus will be introducing (finally) a pro-level E-1 replacement at this year's PMA tradeshow. The show is in the beginning of March and new product announcements should happen shortly before the show. I would expect at least a 10-megapixel sensor in a completely redesigned body. I think the E-1 is a wonderfully designed camera. And I would expect the E-2 will be excellent as well.