wrot

Enough with the design details - which one provides the sharpest image
overall?

Sharpness is in the lens. It doesn't matter what shutter you use.

Some people (myself, for example) feel that the leaf shutter has less
vibration and it's a good thing. I won't get into arguments about this.
Suffice to say, I always pre-fire the 500c when shooting on a tripod. If
you feel the same way, then a leaf shutter is the way to go - IMHO.

Yesterday I walked down the photogaphy aisles in the university library and
found a book that showed how shutter speed related to sharpness. There were
noticable differences (at admittedly ridiculous magnification) in hand-held
1/250th pictures compared to tripod shot 1/250th, but it makes sense - a
fraction of a millimeter of movement at the camera is hugely magnified.