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Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 front
Portability
81
Imaging
49
Features
57
Overall
52

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1 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
  • Revealed August 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-510
Panasonic GH1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 3200)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 124 x 90 x 45mm
  • Introduced July 2009
  • Renewed by Panasonic GH2
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the GH1 (12MP) is pretty similar and they enjoy the exact same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-520 was introduced 10 months prior to the GH1 and they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic GH1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a more detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-520 matches up against the GH1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Panasonic GH1

 E-520 GH1 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH1 over the Olympus E-520

 GH1 E-520 
IntroducedJuly 2009August 2008Fresher by 10 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic GH1

 E-520 GH1 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-520 enjoys outside 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) and the Panasonic GH1 has dimensions of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") having a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-520 vs the GH1.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and GH1 is 68 and 81 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very tough to picture the gap between sensor sizing only by going over specs. The graphic here will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and GH1.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different resolution. You can expect the Panasonic GH1 to offer greater detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic GH1 as a Portrait photography camera
59
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
low resolution (10MP)
59
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-520
Street photography with Panasonic GH1
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen does not articulate
72
fully articulated screen
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-520
Sports photography with Panasonic GH1
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
great battery life (650 shots)
comes with phase detect autofocus
slow fps (4.0 fps)
low resolution (10MP)
32
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
max fps low (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (320 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic GH1 as a Travel photography camera
52
great battery life (650 CIPA)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse recording
low resolution (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
58
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
no Time Lapse function
not so great battery power (320 shots)
low MP (12MP)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic GH1 as a Landscape photography camera
58
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (650 per charge)
tiny screen (2.7")
low resolution (10 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse recording
55
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
not so great battery power (320 per charge)
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic GH1 Vlogging highlights
9
can't record video
72
display is selfie friendly
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has mic port
does not have image stabilization
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Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Panasonic GH1
 Olympus E-520Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-520 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Type Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2008-08-20 2009-07-10
Body design Compact SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - Venus Engine HD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 18.89 x 14.48mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 273.5mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 12MP
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 1600
Max boosted ISO - 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 1.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 10.50 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - AVCHD
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 None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 552g (1.22 lb) 385g (0.85 lb)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 124 x 90 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 64
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 21.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 11.6
DXO Low light rating 548 772
Other
Battery life 650 pictures 320 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $400 $949