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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-1

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Olympus XZ-1 front
Portability
88
Imaging
35
Features
51
Overall
41

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-1 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
  • Introduced August 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-510
Olympus XZ-1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 275g - 111 x 65 x 42mm
  • Released January 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-1 Overview

Here is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-520 versus Olympus XZ-1, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both created by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the XZ-1 (10MP) is relatively well matched but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and XZ-1 (1/1.63") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-520 was announced 3 years before the XZ-1 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-520 scores against the XZ-1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Olympus XZ-1

 E-520 XZ-1 

Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-1 over the Olympus E-520

 XZ-1 E-520 
ReleasedJanuary 2011August 2008Fresher by 29 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution614k230kSharper screen (+384k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Olympus XZ-1

 E-520 XZ-1 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-1 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 comes with outer dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Olympus XZ-1 has sizing of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs).

See the Olympus E-520 versus Olympus XZ-1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-520 vs the XZ-1.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-1 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and XZ-1 is 68 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-1 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to envision the difference between sensor sizing merely by looking at specifications. The photograph below should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and XZ-1.

Plainly, both of those cameras posses the exact same resolution albeit not the same sensor sizing. The E-520 contains the bigger sensor which will make achieving shallower DOF easier. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 Portrait photography information
Olympus XZ-1 Portrait photography information
59
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
low MP (10MP)
45
focusing manually
includes face detect focus
supports RAW files
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/1.63")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography information
Olympus XZ-1 Street photography information
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no moving screen
59
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/1.63")
more heavy than competitors (275g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography information
Olympus XZ-1 Sports photography information
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great battery life (650 CIPA)
comes with phase detect AF
max fps low (4.0 frames/s)
low MP (10MP)
38
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes tracking focus
great battery pack (320 shots)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.63")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography factors
Olympus XZ-1 Travel photography factors
52
great battery life (650 shots)
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse function
low MP (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
62
great battery pack (320 shots)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
does not have Timelapse recording
more heavy than competitors (275g)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-520
Landscape photography with Olympus XZ-1
58
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (650 shots)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
low MP (10MP)
lack of Time Lapse function
54
focusing manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (320 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.63")
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus XZ-1 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video
31
reasonably wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect focus
screen isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have microphone jack
more heavy than competitors (275g)
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Olympus XZ-1
 Olympus E-520Olympus XZ-1
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-520 Olympus XZ-1
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2008-08-20 2011-01-26
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - TruePic V
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.63"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 8.07 x 5.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 44.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 3664 x 2752
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/1.8-2.5
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 4.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230k dot 614k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - OLED
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 8.60 m (ISO 800)
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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) 275g (0.61 lbs)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 111 x 65 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 34
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 18.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 10.4
DXO Low light score 548 117
Other
Battery life 650 photos 320 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $400 $567