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Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic 3D1

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
36
Overall
36

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic 3D1 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
  • Introduced August 2008
  • Older Model is Olympus E-510
Panasonic 3D1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.9-5.7) lens
  • 193g - 108 x 58 x 24mm
  • Revealed November 2011
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Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic 3D1 Overview

Here is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic 3D1, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the 3D1 (12MP) is relatively comparable but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and 3D1 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.

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The E-520 was released 4 years before the 3D1 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic 3D1 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a full comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-520 scores vs the 3D1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Panasonic 3D1

 E-520 3D1 
Manual focus Very precise focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic 3D1 over the Olympus E-520

 3D1 E-520 
RevealedNovember 2011August 2008Fresher by 39 months
Screen dimension3.5"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.8")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic 3D1

 E-520 3D1 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic 3D1 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-520 comes with physical measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Panasonic 3D1 has specifications of 108mm x 58mm x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") along with a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

See the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic 3D1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-520 against the 3D1.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic 3D1 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and 3D1 is 68 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic 3D1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic 3D1 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizing only by seeing a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and 3D1.

As you can see, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-520 because of its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic 3D1 will produce extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic 3D1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic 3D1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic 3D1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic 3D1 as a Portrait photography camera
59
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
27
has face detect focusing
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography factors
Panasonic 3D1 Street photography factors
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no moving screen
61
image stabilization (Optical)
offers focus by touch
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography information
Panasonic 3D1 Sports photography information
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
better than average battery pack (650 CIPA)
has phase detect autofocus
max fps very slow (4.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
30
image stabilization (Optical)
has tracking focus
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,300 seconds)
no shutter priority
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (200 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography details
Panasonic 3D1 Travel photography details
52
better than average battery pack (650 CIPA)
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
59
offers focus by touch
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
missing Time Lapse function
not so great battery power (200 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.9)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography features
Panasonic 3D1 Landscape photography features
58
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
better than average battery pack (650 CIPA)
small screen (2.7")
sensor resolution low (10MP)
does not have Timelapse recording
36
quite wide (25mm)
screen larger than average (3.5")
image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.9)
manual mode not possible
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
not so great battery power (200 per charge)
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 Vlogging details
Panasonic 3D1 Vlogging details
9
lack of video recording
34
quite wide (25mm)
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish max aperture (f3.9)
display is not selfie friendly
missing mic socket
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Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic 3D1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Panasonic 3D1
 Olympus E-520Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-520 Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2008-08-20 2011-11-07
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS 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 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.9-5.7
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7 inch 3.5 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology - TFT Full Touch Screen with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1300 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames per sec -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.50 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 552g (1.22 lbs) 193g (0.43 lbs)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 108 x 58 x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9")
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 200 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $400 $670