Olympus E-510 vs Olympus PEN-F

Here is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-510 vs Olympus PEN-F, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless and they are both designed by Olympus. There is a huge difference among the image resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and PEN-F (20MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-510 was announced 9 years before the PEN-F and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go right into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-510 scores against the PEN-F for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-510 and Olympus PEN-F. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Olympus PEN-F Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-510 enjoys exterior dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) and the Olympus PEN-F has specifications of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") and a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-510 vs Olympus PEN-F in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the E-510 vs the PEN-F.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and PEN-F is 69 and 84 respectively.

Often, it is hard to see the gap in sensor sizing only by looking through technical specs. The graphic here should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-510 and PEN-F.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You should expect to see the Olympus PEN-F to render extra detail with its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older E-510 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.