Clicky

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LS5

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS5 front
Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
25
Overall
32

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LS5 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
  • Replaced the Olympus E-510
Panasonic LS5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 126g - 97 x 62 x 27mm
  • Revealed July 2011
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LS5 Overview

Below is a extended analysis of the Olympus E-520 versus Panasonic LS5, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and LS5 (14MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and LS5 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The E-520 was revealed 3 years before the LS5 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic LS5 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-520 matches up against the LS5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Panasonic LS5

 E-520 LS5 
Manually focus Very exact focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic LS5 over the Olympus E-520

 LS5 E-520 
RevealedJuly 2011August 2008More recent by 35 months

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic LS5

 E-520 LS5 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension2.7"2.7"Identical display size
Display resolution230k230kIdentical display resolution
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch display Neither has Touch display

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LS5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera often, you have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-520 has 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) whilst the Panasonic LS5 has specifications of 97mm x 62mm x 27mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-520 versus Panasonic LS5 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-520 and the LS5.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LS5 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and LS5 is 68 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LS5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LS5 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its difficult to envision the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading technical specs. The visual below might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and LS5.

As you can tell, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-520 having a larger sensor will make achieving bokeh simpler and the Panasonic LS5 will offer you extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LS5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LS5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LS5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic LS5 as a Portrait photography camera
59
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
exports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (10MP)
33
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
features face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography highlights
Panasonic LS5 Street photography highlights
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
62
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (126 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography details
Panasonic LS5 Sports photography details
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great battery power (650 per charge)
supports phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
32
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
low frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery (160 per charge)
no phase detect autofocus
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-520
Travel photography with Panasonic LS5
52
great battery power (650 per charge)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
65
lighter than competition in class (126g)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
flash built-in
really wide (26mm)
missing Time Lapse function
not so great battery (160 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic LS5 Landscape photography advice
58
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (650 CIPA)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
36
really wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7")
no manual control
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
not so great battery (160 shots)
missing Time Lapse function
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic LS5 as a Vlogging camera
9
lack of video recording
32
really wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection autofocus
lighter than competition in class (126 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external mic support
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LS5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Panasonic LS5
 Olympus E-520Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS5
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-520 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS5
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2008-08-20 2011-07-21
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-6.5
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 8s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.60 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 552g (1.22 lbs) 126g (0.28 lbs)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 97 x 62 x 27mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 548 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 photographs 160 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack AA
Battery model - 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Price at launch $400 $294