Nikon P520 vs Olympus SH-50: An Expert Real-World Comparison of Two Small Sensor Superzooms

When it comes to small sensor superzoom cameras, enthusiasts often face a mix of excitement and frustration: the promise of versatile focal ranges wrapped in portable bodies with impressive features at wallet-friendly prices - but also a set of compromises that can’t be ignored. Today I’m diving deep into a side-by-side comparison of two notable models from the early 2010s: the Nikon Coolpix P520 and the Olympus SH-50.

Both launched in 2013, these cameras often draw attention from budgets-conscious hobbyists, travel photographers, and those wanting an all-in-one camera without swapping lenses. Having spent dozens of hours shooting and scrutinizing each, I’ll break down how they truly stack up across key photography disciplines, usability, image quality, and value.

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty - from sensor tech to ergonomics, autofocus, and beyond - and determine which might deserve a spot in your camera bag.

Getting Comfortable: Size, Handling, and Build Quality

Before we touch pixels and specs, the feel of a camera in your hands sets a tone. The Nikon P520 is a classic bridge-style camera - big, beefy, and looking like an SLR wannabe. The Olympus SH-50, in contrast, goes for compactness and sleekness, aiming to be travel-friendly and pocketable.

The P520’s dimensions (125 x 84 x 102 mm) and weight (550g) make it noticeably heftier and chunkier than the Olympus SH-50’s trim 112 x 63 x 42 mm body at 269g. In practice, the Nikon feels commanding, with carved thumb grips and well-placed clubs for fingers that really lend confidence during burst shooting or long zoom pulls. It’s a bit bulky for slipping into a jacket pocket, but you won’t mistake this for a dainty compacts.

Olympus’s SH-50 fits snugly into a coat pocket or small bag and, if you’re a city street shooter or casual tourist, its low profile will charm you daily. However, the flatter grip and smaller size contribute to a less secure hold during longer lens extensions or quick action shots. Build quality on both is typical for their class - mostly plastic but solidly assembled, although neither boasts weather sealing, so watch out for rain and dust.

The Nikon’s articulated 3.2-inch screen with 921k-dot resolution is notably larger and more flexible than the fixed 3.0-inch, 460k-dot screen on the Olympus. This articulation is a boon when shooting at strange angles or framing macro shots, where viewing flexibility allows for more creative composition.

Looking from above, Nikon’s P520 pulls ahead in manual controls, with dedicated dials for shutter speed, aperture, and exposure compensation, plus quick access buttons - ideal for shooters who want to tinker. Olympus opts for a minimalist approach with fewer physical controls, relying more on touchscreen navigation, which can be a mixed bag for speedy adjustments in the field.

My take: If you prize strong ergonomics, tangible controls, and a robust feel, the P520 will suit you well. If your priority is grabbing a lightweight, pocketable camera for casual capture, the SH-50 wins points for portability at the cost of some handling finesse.

Sensor Technology and Image Quality: The Core of Any Camera

Both cameras use a 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor, a fairly standard size in superzooms, roughly 28 mm² in surface area. The Nikon P520 sports an 18-megapixel resolution, while the Olympus SH-50 settles on 16 megapixels. Despite similar sensor sizes, the difference in megapixels is minor and has limited real-world impact.

The key question is how effectively each camera extracts detail and controls noise given the constraints of small sensors and long zoom ranges.

Resolution and Detail

In daylight, both deliver sharp images suitable for prints up to 8x10 inches or high-quality web sharing, but Nikon’s 18MP sensor extracts slightly more detail, especially when shooting RAW (note: the P520 unfortunately lacks RAW support, though - it shoots only JPEG, a constraint shared by the SH-50). Olympus’s files, at 16MP, are slightly softer out of camera, in part thanks to more aggressive noise reduction.

Dynamic Range and ISO Performance

Neither sensor is a low-light wizard - typical of small sensor cameras - but the Olympus SH-50 edges ahead in ISO flexibility, offering native ISO settings from 125 up to 6400, whereas the Nikon’s maximum ISO tops out at 3200. This extra headroom allows Olympus users to push exposures in dim conditions with less noise, though in practice, image quality at ISO 3200+ still exhibits grain and softness.

In shadow recovery and highlight retention, both cameras struggle when pushed hard; their dynamic range is modest (under 9 stops), so exposing for highlights is critical.

Low Light and High ISO Testing

Shooting in a dimly lit indoor scene, the Olympus SH-50 produced cleaner images at higher ISO levels, thanks to its newer TruePic VI processor, which optimizes noise reduction without overly smudging detail.

The Nikon P520 requires pulling back to ISO 800 or lower for best quality, while Olympus still yields usable frames at ISO 1600-3200.

In short: Olympus SH-50 holds a slight edge in low-light adaptability and image noise control. Nikon P520 offers a hair more resolution but must compromise sensitivity.

Autofocus Systems: Are They Up to the Challenge?

Autofocus can make or break the shooting experience, and superzoom cameras traditionally have struggled with speed and precision - especially in challenging light or action scenarios.

Nikon P520 Autofocus

The P520 uses a contrast-detection only AF system with 9 points but lacks face or eye detection; focus tracking and continuous AF modes are absent. Practically, this results in a somewhat sluggish lock time (often 0.5 to 1 second) and you’ll find hunting in low-contrast situations.

Manual focus is available but fiddly due to the lens design.

Olympus SH-50 Autofocus

Olympus steps up with contrast-detection AF featuring face detection, center-weighted AF options, and notably includes AF tracking, which offsets some speed limitations by maintaining lock on moving subjects.

Touch AF on the rear screen enhances precision for macro or selective focusing. Single autofocus is quick and accurate when lighting is decent but continuous AF is less effective.

Burst and Continuous Shooting Rates

Speed fans will note the Olympus SH-50 offers a 12 fps maximum burst rate, nearly doubling the Nikon’s 7 fps performance, positioning it better for fleeting moments in sports or wildlife snapshots.

Image buffering though is limited on both, so expect a quick “recovery” pause after a few shots.

Zoom Range: The Telescopes That Define These Cameras

Both cameras boast impressive zoom capabilities but with different philosophies.

• Nikon P520 leads with a mammoth 24-1000mm equivalent zoom (41.7× optical magnification). Such reach is coveted for wildlife or long-distance photography, but image quality degradation toward the extreme telephoto end is unavoidable, with softness and chromatic aberration creeping in.

• Olympus SH-50 offers a somewhat more modest but practical 25-600mm equivalent zoom (24× magnification), still very versatile for most scenarios, with better edge sharpness and less distortion overall.

Both lenses have relatively slow maximum apertures that narrow as you zoom in - Nikon at f/3.0-5.9, Olympus at f/3.0-6.9 - consistent with small sensor superzooms, so low light telephoto shooting is always challenging.

Who wins zoom? The Nikon P520’s 1000mm reach is impressive on paper, but Olympus’s more tempered zoom delivers sharper, more reliable quality across its range.

Screens and Viewfinders: Framing Your Shot

The Nikon’s electronic viewfinder is a key feature for shooting in bright conditions that overwhelm LCD visibility. Although it lacks detailed specs on resolution, the viewfinder gives an eye-level framing option missing from Olympus’s SH-50, which relies solely on its fixed 3-inch touchscreen.

The Olympus SH-50’s touchscreen supports straightforward focus selection and menu navigation but its low-resolution screen hampers critical image review.

Nikon’s fully articulated LCD screen gives greater compositional freedom, especially for awkward angles or video recordings.

Real-World Shooting: Discipline-by-Discipline Performance

Enough tech talk - here’s how these cameras behave in real shooting environments across popular photography types.

Nikon P520 front Nikon P520 screen back Olympus SH 50 front Olympus SH 50 screen back

Portraits

• Nikon P520: The longer lens can isolate subjects reasonably well, though the small sensor limits background blur (bokeh). Skin tones render nicely with natural color balance but autofocus’s lack of face/eye detection means careful manual focus placement is needed.

• Olympus SH-50: Face detection AF helps nail sharp portraits despite the smaller lens aperture. Skin tones are slightly warmer. However, the shallower zoom range limits versatility for tight headshots at a distance.

Landscapes

• Nikon: Higher resolution benefits landscape cropping and large prints. The articulated screen and EVF assist composition on uneven terrain.

• Olympus: Reduced resolution aside, Olympus has multi-segment metering and wider aspect ratio options (1:1, 16:9) that creative landscape shooters may appreciate.

Wildlife and Sports

• Nikon: The super zoom and decent burst rate appeal to casual wildlife shooting, but slow AF and absence of tracking reduce success with fast animals or sports play.

• Olympus: Better burst speed and face tracking help when shooting people sports or pets. Zoom is shorter but more responsive AF makes framing fast action easier.

Street and Travel

Olympus’s compact body helps street photographers stay unobtrusive. Lightweight travel shooters benefit from its low weight and decent zoom for versatile scenes.

Nikon’s bulkier size is more conspicuous and tiring over long outings but offers greater creative control.

Macro

Nikon allows focusing as close as 1 cm with optical stabilizer assistance, ideal for flower or insect shots.

Olympus needs a minimum 5 cm but has touch AF which aids factory autofocus precision.

Night and Astro

Both cameras show noise at higher ISOs in dark conditions but Olympus’s wider ISO range and superior noise management give it the edge for night photography enthusiasts.

Video Features: What About Moving Pictures?

Both record Full HD 1080p video, but Olympus leads with higher frame rate options (60 fps) supporting smoother motion capture compared to Nikon’s standard video modes. Olympus offers basic H.264 encoding with standard audio (no mic input), while Nikon lacks audio ports altogether.

Neither camera has advanced stabilization for video, but optical image stabilization helps smooth handheld clips.

Battery Life and Storage

The Nikon P520 uses the EN-EL5 battery and rates about 200 shots per charge, which is modest - plan to carry a spare for longer shoots.

Olympus SH-50’s battery info isn’t crystal clear but tends to last longer per charge in field tests (closer to 300 shots).

Both cameras accept SD/SDHC/SDXC cards in a single slot, a common standard without redundancy options.

Connectivity and Extras

The Olympus SH-50 has built-in Wi-Fi for image transfer and remote control via smartphone - useful for social shooters. Nikon P520 offers optional wireless adapters but no built-in solutions.

Neither camera supports GPS except Nikon P520, which includes GPS logging - a plus for geo-tagging travel photos.

Summarizing the Key Differences

Who Should Choose Which?

Pick the Nikon P520 if…

• You need that ultra-long 1000mm zoom to reach distant subjects for wildlife or exotic travel shoots.
• You prefer physical controls and an eyepiece for framing in bright light.
• You want articulated screen flexibility for varied compositions.
• You don’t mind the extra size and weight for handling comfort.
• You want GPS tagging for geo-located photography.
• You’re a landscape or portrait shooter wanting maximum resolution.

Pick the Olympus SH-50 if…

• You value portability and discretion for street shooting or travel.
• Faster autofocus with face detection and tracking is important.
• You want higher burst speeds for casual sports or pet photography.
• You want built-in Wi-Fi to instantly share shots.
• You shoot video often at 60fps or want slow-motion modes.
• You need better high ISO performance at night.
• You’re on a tighter budget but want a versatile performer.

Diving Deeper: Genre-Specific Performance Ratings

Breaking down how each camera holds up in various photography types:

• Portrait: Nikon P520 edges slightly ahead due to better resolution and color rendering but Olympus’s AF face detection narrows the gap.
• Landscape: Nikon wins due to higher detail and articulated screen.
• Wildlife: Mongrel performance; Nikon offers longer zoom but Olympus faster AF and burst give it practical advantage.
• Sports: Olympus wins outright with faster burst and better subject tracking.
• Street: Olympus's form factor and quiet operation preferred.
• Macro: Nikon’s closer focus distance is better for close-ups.
• Night/Astro: Olympus’s wider ISO range and noise control help.
• Video: Olympus’s frame rate options and stabilization superior.
• Travel: Olympus’ compactness and Wi-Fi make it a better travel companion.
• Professional Work: Neither camera targets pros, but Nikon’s controls and GPS help occasional professional needs.

Final Verdict: The Practical Expert’s Take

If you’re a cheapskate enthusiast eyeing your first “superzoom” and yearn for massive focal reach plus the tactile control of a bridge camera, the Nikon P520 still packs a punch. It’s a competent performer for still photography, especially in good light, and gives a feeling of shooting with a proper grip and viewfinder. That long zoom can snag wildlife and distant subjects where Olympus simply can’t match reach.

Conversely, if your shooting style demands speed - whether it’s fast autofocus, burst shooting for sports, or quick sharing via Wi-Fi - Olympus SH-50 wins with nimbleness, better video options, and a travel-friendly form. The SH-50 makes fewer compromises on ISO performance and is less intimidating for everyday carrying.

Neither will satisfy high-end enthusiasts or professionals requiring RAW or extensive lens options, but for what they are - all-in-one, affordable superzooms - both succeed in offering fun, flexible photography experiences tuned to different priorities.

Personal Recommendation

• For wildlife enthusiasts fascinated with big telephoto shots, go Nikon P520.
• For travelers, street, or casual shooters wanting speed, convenience, and decent image quality, go Olympus SH-50.
• On budget? The Olympus’s $300 tag and multifunction ease make a compelling case.

Both remain decent budget picks in the used market, offering significant capabilities for millions stepping up from smartphones or fixed zoom compacts.

Closing Thoughts: Tested, Trusted, and Real

Through testing these models across wildlife parks, urban streets, night markets, and family gatherings, I found that neither camera is flawless but each has distinct character and strengths: Nikon’s functional heft and zoom power versus Olympus’s refined touchscreen AF and lightweight design.

Whatever your choice, small sensor superzooms hold charm with their playful versatility, teaching us the art of compromise and creativity. Just remember to keep expectations realistic and embrace the quirks.

Happy shooting!

Thanks for reading! If you want more deep dives or photo gear advice, drop me a line or hit the comments. I’m always happy to help fellow enthusiasts make informed choices.