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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Olympus E-520 front
Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520 Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Announced February 2008
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-1
  • Renewed by Olympus E-5
Olympus E-520
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 552g - 136 x 92 x 68mm
  • Revealed August 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-510
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520 Overview

Following is a detailed review of the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are offered by Olympus. The resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the E-520 (10MP) is pretty close and they feature the exact same sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-3 was announced 6 months earlier than the E-520 so they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-3 matches up against the E-520 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus E-520

 E-3 E-520 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Olympus E-3

 E-520 E-3 
Screen dimension2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-520

 E-3 E-520 
RevealedFebruary 2008August 2008Same age
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen resolution230k230kIdentical screen resolution
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 has got external measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-520 has specifications of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-3 versus the E-520.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and E-520 is 56 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its tough to picture the gap in sensor sizes merely by looking through a spec sheet. The pic here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and E-520.

Clearly, both the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements and the exact same MP so you can expect comparable quality of pictures but you need to consider the age of the cameras into account.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography advice
Olympus E-520 Portrait photography advice
56
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low megapixels (10MP)
59
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
supports RAW files
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography details
Olympus E-520 Street photography details
69
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography factors
Olympus E-520 Sports photography factors
57
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
has phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
great battery pack (650 shots)
has phase detect auto focus
low fps (4.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography info
Olympus E-520 Travel photography info
55
environment sealing
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
missing Time Lapse function
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
52
great battery pack (650 per charge)
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography advice
Olympus E-520 Landscape photography advice
56
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
low megapixels (10MP)
missing Time Lapse function
58
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (650 per charge)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging advice
Olympus E-520 Vlogging advice
18
lack of video recording
9
no video recording
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-520 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-520
 Olympus E-3Olympus E-520
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-3 Olympus E-520
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2008-02-20 2008-08-20
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 3200 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 11 3
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 45 45
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.46x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Highest video resolution None None
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890 gr (1.96 lbs) 552 gr (1.22 lbs)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 55
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 21.4
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 10.4
DXO Low light score 571 548
Other
Battery life - 650 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card
Card slots One One
Launch cost $670 $400