Olympus E-520 vs Pentax K-1 II

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-520 versus Pentax K-1 II, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and K-1 II (36MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and K-1 II (Full frame) boast different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-520 was introduced 10 years earlier than the K-1 II and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax K-1 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a short view of how the E-520 matches up against the K-1 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 & Pentax K-1 Mark II. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Pentax K-1 II Gallery.

If you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 comes with outside dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-1 II has sizing of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") with a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-520 versus Pentax K-1 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-520 vs the K-1 II.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and K-1 II is 68 and 55 respectively.

In many cases, it can be difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading specs. The visual underneath will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and K-1 II.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-520 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Pentax K-1 II will offer you greater detail using its extra 26MP. Higher resolution will let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.