Canon 550D vs Olympus E-520

Let's look a bit more closely at the Canon 550D vs Olympus E-520, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by rivals Canon and Olympus. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the 550D (18MP) and E-520 (10MP) and the 550D (APS-C) and E-520 (Four Thirds) possess totally different sensor size.

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The 550D was brought out 20 months after the E-520 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before delving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the 550D scores against the E-520 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Canon EOS 550D & Olympus E-520. The entire galleries are provided at Canon 550D Gallery & Olympus E-520 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and proportions. The Canon 550D provides outer measurements of 129mm x 98mm x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") having a weight of 530 grams (1.17 lbs) and the Olympus E-520 has measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs).

Compare the Canon 550D vs Olympus E-520 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at the time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the 550D compared to the E-520.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 550D and E-520 is 70 and 68 respectively.

Quite often, it can be hard to envision the difference between sensor dimensions merely by going over a spec sheet. The pic below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the 550D and E-520.

Clearly, both of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The 550D because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Canon 550D will offer you more detail having its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more recent 550D is going to have a benefit in sensor innovation.