Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic FZ1000

Here is a in depth overview of the Olympus E-520 versus Panasonic FZ1000, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and FZ1000 (20MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and FZ1000 (1") posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-520 was revealed 6 years before the FZ1000 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-520 scores against the FZ1000 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-520 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Panasonic FZ1000 Gallery.

If you're intending to carry your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 enjoys external measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ1000 has measurements of 137mm x 99mm x 131mm (5.4" x 3.9" x 5.2") along with a weight of 831 grams (1.83 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-520 versus Panasonic FZ1000 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-520 compared to the FZ1000.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and FZ1000 is 68 and 55 respectively.

Often, its tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizing simply by seeing specs. The photograph below should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and FZ1000.

All in all, both of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-520 using its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic FZ1000 will produce greater detail because of its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs way more aggressively. The older E-520 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.