Olympus E-520 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-520 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both manufactured by Olympus. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and SP-800 UZ (14MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") boast different sensor measurements.

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The E-520 was launched 17 months before the SP-800 UZ making them a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus SP-800 UZ being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a in depth comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-520 scores versus the SP-800 UZ with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-520 and Olympus SP-800 UZ. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Olympus SP-800 UZ Gallery.

When you are planning to carry your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 has got physical dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Olympus SP-800 UZ has measurements of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") and a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs).

See the Olympus E-520 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-520 against the SP-800 UZ.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and SP-800 UZ is 68 and 69 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizing purely by going over specifications. The visual below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and SP-800 UZ.

To sum up, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-520 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus SP-800 UZ will offer you more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.