Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS60

Below is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic ZS60, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and ZS60 (18MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and ZS60 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-520 was released 8 years prior to the ZS60 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS60 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a full comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-520 matches up vs the ZS60 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS60. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Panasonic ZS60 Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 provides exterior measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS60 has measurements of 112mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 282 grams (0.62 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic ZS60 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-520 vs the ZS60.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and ZS60 is 68 and 88 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very hard to see the gap in sensor measurements purely by viewing a spec sheet. The graphic here will offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and ZS60.

As you can see, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-520 because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS60 will provide you with greater detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older E-520 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.