Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3
68 Imaging
44 Features
45 Overall
44
96 Imaging
37 Features
24 Overall
31
Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3 Key Specs
(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
- Older Model is Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
- 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
- Launched January 2011
Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3 Overview
Below, we are contrasting the Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and S3 (14MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and S3 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe E-520 was brought out 3 years earlier than the S3 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera.
Before delving straight into a complete comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-520 matches up vs the S3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-520 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Panasonic S3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Panasonic S3
E-520 | S3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | More precise focusing |
Reasons to pick Panasonic S3 over the Olympus E-520
S3 | E-520 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | January 2011 | August 2008 | Fresher by 28 months |
Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic S3
E-520 | S3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed display | |
Display dimension | 2.7" | 2.7" | Identical display dimensions | |
Display resolution | 230k | 230k | Exact same display resolution | |
Selfie screen | Lack of selfie screen | |||
Touch display | Lack of Touch display |
Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3 Physical Comparison
If you're aiming to carry your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 comes with external dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S3 has measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).
See the Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-520 and the S3.
Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and S3 is 68 and 96 respectively.
Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it is very tough to see the difference between sensor sizing purely by checking technical specs. The graphic underneath might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and S3.
As you can tell, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-520 featuring a larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic S3 will give extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images much more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.
Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3 Specifications
Olympus E-520 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus E-520 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 |
Category | Entry-Level DSLR | Small Sensor Compact |
Revealed | 2008-08-20 | 2011-01-05 |
Body design | Compact SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | - | Venus Engine IV |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4320 x 3240 |
Highest native ISO | 1600 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 11 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 28-112mm (4.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.1-5.6 |
Macro focusing range | - | 5cm |
Amount of lenses | 45 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display size | 2.7 inch | 2.7 inch |
Resolution of display | 230k dot | 230k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Display tech | - | TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 8s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shooting speed | 4.0fps | 2.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 3.30 m |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/180s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
Video format | - | MPEG-4 |
Microphone 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 | 552 gr (1.22 lbs) | 117 gr (0.26 lbs) |
Dimensions | 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") | 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 55 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.4 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.4 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 548 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 650 pictures | 250 pictures |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Storage slots | One | One |
Retail price | $400 | $110 |