[matthew]

s500 user here looking at the olympus e330, any thoughts

There's almost no comparison. (They both take great pictures, that's it.) I use a Canon S400, and adore my Olympus E-1. I've never met the E-330, but know a couple of people with the E-300 (including my mother) and both love it. Oly has great lenses, an effective dust remover, and the 330 has a workable 'live' LCD.