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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS

Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
45
Overall
44
Olympus E-520 front
 
Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS front
Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
42
Overall
38

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS 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
  • Replaced the Olympus E-510
Olympus TG-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 111 x 67 x 29mm
  • Released June 2013
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS Overview

Here is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Waterproof and both of them are offered by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the TG-2 iHS (12MP) is pretty comparable but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and TG-2 iHS (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-520 was launched 5 years prior to the TG-2 iHS and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus TG-2 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-520 matches up versus the TG-2 iHS when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Olympus TG-2 iHS

 E-520 TG-2 iHS 
Manually focus More precise focusing

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-2 iHS over the Olympus E-520

 TG-2 iHS E-520 
ReleasedJune 2013August 2008Fresher by 59 months
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution610k230kClearer screen (+380k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Olympus TG-2 iHS

 E-520 TG-2 iHS 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 has exterior 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) and the Olympus TG-2 iHS has sizing of 111mm x 67mm x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1") having a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-520 compared to the TG-2 iHS.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and TG-2 iHS is 68 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS Sensor Comparison

Usually, its difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizing purely by going through specs. The graphic here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and TG-2 iHS.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-520 due to its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus TG-2 iHS will show more detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 Portrait photography features
Olympus TG-2 iHS Portrait photography features
58
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (10 megapixels)
27
comes with face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
low MP (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-520
Street photography with Olympus TG-2 iHS
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
fixed screen
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
no articulating screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography highlights
Olympus TG-2 iHS Sports photography highlights
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good battery life (650 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
MP count low (10MP)
40
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
good battery power (350 CIPA)
low fps (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography information
Olympus TG-2 iHS Travel photography information
52
good battery life (650 CIPA)
flash built-in
no Time Lapse recording
MP count low (10 megapixels)
does not have selfie friendly display
68
good battery power (350 shots)
weather proofing
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
low MP (12MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography features
Olympus TG-2 iHS Landscape photography features
57
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (650 CIPA)
small screen (2.7 inches)
MP count low (10MP)
no Time Lapse recording
46
really wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
good battery power (350 CIPA)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
no manual mode
low MP (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 Vlogging details
Olympus TG-2 iHS Vlogging details
9
lack of video recording
36
really wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external mic port
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Olympus TG-2 iHS
 Olympus E-520Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-520 Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS
Class Entry-Level DSLR Waterproof
Revealed 2008-08-20 2013-06-28
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 3968 x 2976
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 3 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.0-4.9
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 610 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - OLED
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye -
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic 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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 552g (1.22 pounds) 230g (0.51 pounds)
Physical dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 111 x 67 x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 548 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 images 350 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - Li-90B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 and 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card -
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $400 $380