Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-10

Here is a complete analysis of the Olympus E-520 versus Olympus XZ-10, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both built by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the XZ-10 (12MP) is relatively close but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and XZ-10 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-520 was unveiled 5 years before the XZ-10 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus XZ-10 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a full comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-520 matches up vs the XZ-10 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 & Olympus Stylus XZ-10. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Olympus XZ-10 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera regularly, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-520 has got outer measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Olympus XZ-10 has proportions of 102mm x 61mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-520 versus Olympus XZ-10 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at the time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-520 compared to the XZ-10.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and XZ-10 is 68 and 91 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizing purely by viewing a spec sheet. The graphic underneath might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and XZ-10.

As you can see, both of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-520 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus XZ-10 will render greater detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.