Olympus E-510 vs Olympus SZ-11

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-510 versus Olympus SZ-11, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are offered by Olympus. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and SZ-11 (14MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and SZ-11 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor size.

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The E-510 was announced 4 years prior to the SZ-11 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a full comparison, here is a short view of how the E-510 grades vs the SZ-11 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-510 & Olympus SZ-11. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Olympus SZ-11 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-510 offers physical measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-11 has sizing of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-510 versus Olympus SZ-11 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at that time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the E-510 against the SZ-11.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and SZ-11 is 69 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, it's tough to envision the difference in sensor sizing only by seeing specifications. The photograph below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-510 and SZ-11.

Plainly, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-510 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus SZ-11 will provide more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop images a bit more aggressively. The older E-510 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.