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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus 550WP

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Olympus Stylus 550WP front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus 550WP Key Specs

Olympus E-520
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 552g - 136 x 92 x 68mm
  • Revealed August 2008
  • Old Model is Olympus E-510
Olympus 550WP
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-114mm (F3.5-5.0) lens
  • 167g - 94 x 62 x 22mm
  • Launched January 2009
  • Also Known as mju 550WP
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus 550WP Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-520 and Olympus 550WP, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are produced by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the 550WP (10MP) is pretty similar but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and 550WP (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-520 was manufactured 4 months before the 550WP so they are both of a similar age. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a full comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-520 matches up against the 550WP in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Olympus 550WP

 E-520 550WP 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Screen dimensions2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")

Reasons to pick Olympus 550WP over the Olympus E-520

 550WP E-520 

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Olympus 550WP

 E-520 550WP 
LaunchedAugust 2008January 2009Similar age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus 550WP Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry your camera frequently, you will need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-520 provides outer measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Olympus 550WP has proportions of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-520 and Olympus 550WP in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-520 against the 550WP.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus 550WP size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and 550WP is 68 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus 550WP top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus 550WP Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is tough to envision the difference between sensor sizing purely by reading technical specs. The visual underneath should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and 550WP.

As you can tell, both of the cameras have the same resolution albeit not the same sensor sizing. The E-520 includes the bigger sensor which should make obtaining shallow depth of field less difficult.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus 550WP sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus 550WP Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus 550WP Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-520
Portrait photography with Olympus 550WP
59
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
19
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
resolution not great (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-520
Street photography with Olympus 550WP
65
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no moving screen
61
image stabilization (Digital)
weather proofing
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography information
Olympus 550WP Sports photography information
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
better than average battery (650 per charge)
comes with phase detect AF
max fps low (4.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
30
image stabilization (Digital)
weather proofing
low max shutter speed (1/1,000 seconds)
no shutter priority
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography features
Olympus 550WP Travel photography features
52
better than average battery (650 shots)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
55
weather proofing
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse mode
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography info
Olympus 550WP Landscape photography info
58
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
better than average battery (650 CIPA)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
missing Time Lapse recording
30
image stabilization (Digital)
weather proofing
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.5")
manual mode not possible
resolution not great (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-520
Vlogging with Olympus 550WP
9
can't shoot video
25
image stabilization (Digital)
wide angle not good (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
does not have microphone port
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus 550WP Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Olympus 550WP
 Olympus E-520Olympus Stylus 550WP
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-520 Olympus Stylus 550WP
Alternative name - mju 550WP
Type Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2008-08-20 2009-01-07
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 1600 1600
Minimum native ISO 100 64
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 38-114mm (3.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.0
Macro focus range - 7cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7" 2.5"
Resolution of display 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution None 640x480
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 552g (1.22 lbs) 167g (0.37 lbs)
Physical dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 94 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 548 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 pictures -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $400 $399