Olympus E-520 vs Pentax K-01

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-520 and Pentax K-01, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and K-01 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and K-01 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-520 was introduced 4 years before the K-01 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax K-01 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-520 scores vs the K-01 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-520 and Pentax K-01. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Pentax K-01 Gallery.

For those who are looking to travel with your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-520 comes with 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) and the Pentax K-01 has proportions of 122mm x 79mm x 58mm (4.8" x 3.1" x 2.3") with a weight of 561 grams (1.24 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-520 and Pentax K-01 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the E-520 against the K-01.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and K-01 is 68 and 76 respectively.

Typically, it's difficult to envision the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by viewing specifications. The picture here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and K-01.

Plainly, the 2 cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-520 having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-01 will result in more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-520 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.