Nikon D3300 vs Olympus E-520

Its time to look more closely at the Nikon D3300 and Olympus E-520, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by rivals Nikon and Olympus. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the D3300 (24MP) and E-520 (10MP) and the D3300 (APS-C) and E-520 (Four Thirds) possess different sensor sizing.

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The D3300 was launched 5 years later than the E-520 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before delving straight into a complete comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the D3300 grades versus the E-520 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Nikon D3300 & Olympus E-520. The complete galleries are available at Nikon D3300 Gallery & Olympus E-520 Gallery.

When you are planning to carry your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Nikon D3300 provides external dimensions of 124mm x 98mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 430 grams (0.95 lbs) while the Olympus E-520 has dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs).

Examine the Nikon D3300 and Olympus E-520 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the D3300 against the E-520.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the D3300 and E-520 is 69 and 68 respectively.

Typically, it is very hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizing only by reading specs. The visual here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the D3300 and E-520.

All in all, both cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The D3300 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Nikon D3300 will deliver extra detail utilizing its extra 14MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a little more aggressively. The more recent D3300 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.