Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS15

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic ZS15, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the ZS15 (12MP) is very similar but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and ZS15 (1/2.3") feature different sensor size.

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The E-520 was released 4 years prior to the ZS15 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a thorough comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-520 grades versus the ZS15 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-520 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Panasonic ZS15 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-520 has got outer dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS15 has specifications of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic ZS15 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have during that time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-520 compared to the ZS15.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and ZS15 is 68 and 92 respectively.

Often, it's difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements simply by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and ZS15.

Clearly, both the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-520 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic ZS15 will deliver more detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images a little more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.