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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II

Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
45
Overall
44
Olympus E-520 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II 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
  • Revealed August 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-510
Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Introduced February 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M5
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M5 III
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and both of them are sold by Olympus. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and E-M5 II (16MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-520 was released 7 years before the E-M5 II which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-520 matches up vs the E-M5 II with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 E-520 E-M5 II 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Olympus E-520

 E-M5 II E-520 
IntroducedFebruary 2015August 2008Newer by 78 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Olympus E-M5 II

 E-520 E-M5 II 
Manual focus More accurate focusing

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II Physical Comparison

For those who are going to travel with your camera, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 enjoys outside dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) and the Olympus E-M5 II has sizing of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") having a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs).

See the Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the E-520 against the E-M5 II.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and E-M5 II is 68 and 80 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing specs. The pic underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and E-M5 II.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Olympus E-M5 II to deliver greater detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots way more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 Portrait photography factors
Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography factors
58
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
low resolution (10 megapixels)
71
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-520
Street photography with Olympus E-M5 II
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is fixed
82
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
comes with focus by touch
weather proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography advice
Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography advice
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good battery power (650 shots)
has phase detect AF
low fps (4.0 frames/s)
low resolution (10MP)
65
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proofing
terrible battery life (310 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-M5 II as a Travel photography camera
52
good battery power (650 per charge)
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
low resolution (10MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
74
weather proofing
comes with focus by touch
megapixel count decent (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
terrible battery life (310 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography features
Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography features
57
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
good battery power (650 CIPA)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
low resolution (10MP)
does not have Time Lapse mode
74
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
terrible battery life (310 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 Vlogging highlights
Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging highlights
9
lack of video recording
82
display is selfie friendly
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external microphone port
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-M5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Olympus E-M5 II
 Olympus E-520Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-520 Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
Type Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2008-08-20 2015-02-06
Body design Compact SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS MOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 25600
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Min enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 81
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/16000s
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 552 gr (1.22 lbs) 469 gr (1.03 lbs)
Physical dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 73
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 12.4
DXO Low light score 548 896
Other
Battery life 650 images 310 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $400 $699