Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic LX10

In this article, we are matching up the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic LX10, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and LX10 (20MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and LX10 (1") feature totally different sensor size.

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The E-520 was brought out 9 years earlier than the LX10 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic LX10 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-520 grades vs the LX10 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-520 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX10. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Panasonic LX10 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you will have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 offers physical 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 LX10 has sizing of 106mm x 60mm x 42mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.7") having a weight of 310 grams (0.68 lbs).

See the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic LX10 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-520 versus the LX10.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and LX10 is 68 and 88 respectively.

Typically, it's tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizing only by looking through specs. The visual here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and LX10.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-520 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic LX10 will result in greater detail having its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a little more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.