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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS 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
  • Announced August 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-510
Olympus XZ-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 346g - 113 x 65 x 48mm
  • Announced December 2012
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-520 versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are built by Olympus. The resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) is relatively similar but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") have totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-520 was announced 5 years prior to the XZ-2 iHS and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a in depth comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-520 grades versus the XZ-2 iHS with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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

 E-520 XZ-2 iHS 

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

 XZ-2 iHS E-520 
AnnouncedDecember 2012August 2008More recent by 52 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kSharper screen (+690k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

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

 E-520 XZ-2 iHS 
Focus manually More precise focus
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

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

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 has 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) and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS has measurements of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") having a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-520 versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at the time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the E-520 and the XZ-2 iHS.

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

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and XZ-2 iHS is 68 and 85 respectively.

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

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

In many cases, it is very tough to see the contrast between sensor measurements purely by going over specs. The visual here might offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and XZ-2 iHS.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-520 using its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS will deliver extra detail with its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

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

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

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 Portrait photography highlights
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Portrait photography highlights
59
you can focus manually
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (10MP)
46
you can focus manually
provides face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-520
Street photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
65
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is fixed
66
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
very small sensor (1/1.7")
more heavy than competitors (346 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography features
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sports photography features
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good battery life (650 shots)
comes with phase detect autofocus
low fps (4.0 fps)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
43
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking autofocus
great battery pack (340 per charge)
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography factors
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography factors
52
good battery life (650 shots)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse function
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
61
great battery pack (340 shots)
has built in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
more heavy than competitors (346 grams)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-520
Landscape photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
58
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (650 per charge)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse function
55
you can focus manually
fairly wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (340 CIPA)
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-520
Vlogging with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
9
no video shooting
36
fairly wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external microphone socket
display isn't selfie friendly
more heavy than competitors (346g)
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS
 Olympus E-520Olympus XZ-2 iHS
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-520 Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2008-08-20 2012-12-18
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 3968 x 2976
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 35
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.8-2.5
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 4.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 8.60 m (ISO 800)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 552 gr (1.22 lb) 346 gr (0.76 lb)
Physical dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 49
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 20.4
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 11.3
DXO Low light score 548 216
Other
Battery life 650 photographs 340 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - Li-90B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $400 $450