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Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH5

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 front
Portability
59
Imaging
60
Features
89
Overall
71

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH5 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
  • Announced August 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-510
Panasonic GH5
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 725g - 139 x 98 x 87mm
  • Revealed January 2017
  • Replaced the Panasonic GH4
  • Successor is Panasonic GH5 II
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Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH5 Overview

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-520 versus Panasonic GH5, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and GH5 (20MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-520 was announced 9 years before the GH5 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic GH5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-520 grades vs the GH5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Panasonic GH5

 E-520 GH5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH5 over the Olympus E-520

 GH5 E-520 
RevealedJanuary 2017August 2008Fresher by 101 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3.2"2.7"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1620k230kClearer display (+1390k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic GH5

 E-520 GH5 
Focus manually Very accurate focus

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH5 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-520 enjoys 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) and the Panasonic GH5 has proportions of 139mm x 98mm x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 725 grams (1.60 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-520 versus Panasonic GH5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-520 and the GH5.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH5 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and GH5 is 68 and 59 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH5 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's tough to imagine the difference between sensor sizing just by going over technical specs. The photograph underneath should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and GH5.

As you have seen, the two cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You can anticipate the Panasonic GH5 to offer more detail with its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-520
Portrait photography with Panasonic GH5
59
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
supports RAW formats
low megapixels (10MP)
76
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography features
Panasonic GH5 Street photography features
65
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
74
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
comes with focus by touch
weather proofing
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography advice
Panasonic GH5 Sports photography advice
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good battery pack (650 per charge)
supports phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (10MP)
68
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
bad battery pack (410 per charge)
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography details
Panasonic GH5 Travel photography details
52
good battery pack (650 per charge)
flash built-in
does not have Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
68
weather proofing
has bluetooth
comes with focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
display is selfie friendly
bad battery pack (410 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-520
Landscape photography with Panasonic GH5
58
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
good battery pack (650 CIPA)
small screen (2.7")
low megapixels (10MP)
does not have Time Lapse recording
75
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3.2 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
does not have anti aliasing filter
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
2 card slots
bad battery pack (410 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-520
Vlogging with Panasonic GH5
9
can't record video
75
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focusing
video resolution high (4096 x 2160 pxls)
does have external mic support
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Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GH5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Panasonic GH5
 Olympus E-520Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-520 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5
Type Entry-Level DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2008-08-20 2017-01-04
Physical type Compact SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 1600 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Lowest enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 3 225
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 2.7" 3.2"
Screen resolution 230k dots 1,620k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,680k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.76x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Max silent shutter speed - 1/16000s
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per second 12.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Auto/Redeye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On w/Redeye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync w/Redeye Reduction, Forced Off
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
Video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 (24p), 3840 x 2160 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Highest video resolution None 4096x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 552 gr (1.22 pounds) 725 gr (1.60 pounds)
Physical dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 139 x 98 x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 77
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 23.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 13.0
DXO Low light rating 548 807
Other
Battery life 650 images 410 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs; 10 secs w/3 shots)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots 1 Two
Launch price $400 $1,298