Olympus E-520 vs Olympus E-P2

Following is a complete comparison of the Olympus E-520 and Olympus E-P2, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both manufactured by Olympus. The resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the E-P2 (12MP) is pretty well matched and they use the exact same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-520 was announced 20 months before the E-P2 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-520 matches up versus the E-P2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-520 & Olympus PEN E-P2. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Olympus E-P2 Gallery.

In case you're planning to carry around your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-520 has got exterior dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) and the Olympus E-P2 has specifications of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs).

See the Olympus E-520 and Olympus E-P2 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at the time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-520 versus the E-P2.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and E-P2 is 68 and 86 respectively.

Normally, it can be hard to picture the difference between sensor sizes simply by checking specifications. The image here will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and E-P2.

Plainly, the two cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You can expect the Olympus E-P2 to give you more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.