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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M10

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 front
Portability
82
Imaging
53
Features
73
Overall
61

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M10 Key Specs

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
  • Launched August 2008
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-510
Olympus E-M10
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 119 x 82 x 46mm
  • Released March 2014
  • Updated by Olympus E-M10 II
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M10 Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-520 versus Olympus E-M10, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both sold by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and E-M10 (16MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-520 was introduced 6 years earlier than the E-M10 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-520 grades against the E-M10 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Olympus E-M10

 E-520 E-M10 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 over the Olympus E-520

 E-M10 E-520 
ReleasedMarch 2014August 2008More recent by 67 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Olympus E-M10

 E-520 E-M10 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M10 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 provides outside measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Olympus E-M10 has sizing of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs).

See the Olympus E-520 versus Olympus E-M10 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-520 vs the E-M10.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M10 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and E-M10 is 68 and 82 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M10 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M10 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements simply by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and E-M10.

Clearly, the 2 cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Olympus E-M10 to result in more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M10 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M10 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 Portrait photography information
Olympus E-M10 Portrait photography information
59
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
low resolution (10 megapixels)
71
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography features
Olympus E-M10 Street photography features
65
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is fixed
77
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
supports focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
heavier than others (396g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography details
Olympus E-M10 Sports photography details
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good battery life (650 per charge)
has phase detect auto focus
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames per second)
low resolution (10 megapixels)
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography factors
Olympus E-M10 Travel photography factors
52
good battery life (650 shots)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
low resolution (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
67
supports focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
heavier than others (396 grams)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus E-M10 as a Landscape photography camera
58
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (650 per charge)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
low resolution (10 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse recording
79
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 Vlogging factors
Olympus E-M10 Vlogging factors
9
no video
33
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have mic support
heavier than others (396g)
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Olympus E-M10
 Olympus E-520Olympus OM-D E-M10
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-520 Olympus OM-D E-M10
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2008-08-20 2014-03-18
Physical type Compact SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - TruePic VII
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 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 81
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.58x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames per sec 8.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.80 m (ISO100)
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual(1/1(FULL)~1/64)
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 seconds 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 552 gr (1.22 pounds) 396 gr (0.87 pounds)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 119 x 82 x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 72
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 12.3
DXO Low light score 548 884
Other
Battery life 650 shots 320 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (12 sec., 2 sec.,custom (Waiting time 1-30sec.,Shooting interval 0.5/1/2/3sec.,Number of shots 1-10))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $400 $600