Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LF1

Below is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LF1, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the LF1 (12MP) is relatively comparable but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and LF1 (1/1.7") possess different sensor size.

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The E-520 was released 6 years earlier than the LF1 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic LF1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-520 scores versus the LF1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Panasonic LF1 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-520 enjoys outer 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 LF1 has specifications of 103mm x 62mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.1") and a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LF1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-520 versus the LF1.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and LF1 is 68 and 92 respectively.

In many cases, it can be difficult to picture the difference in sensor measurements simply by checking out specs. The graphic below will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and LF1.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-520 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic LF1 will show more detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures much more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.