Olympus E-520 vs Pentax K-30

Below is a extensive analysis of the Olympus E-520 and Pentax K-30, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and K-30 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and K-30 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The E-520 was unveiled 5 years earlier than the K-30 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight into a full comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-520 matches up against the K-30 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-520 and Pentax K-30. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Pentax K-30 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 provides outer dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-30 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") having a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-520 and Pentax K-30 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-520 compared to the K-30.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and K-30 is 68 and 63 respectively.

Usually, it is very tough to picture the gap between sensor measurements purely by going over specifications. The graphic below might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and K-30.

Plainly, each of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-520 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh harder and the Pentax K-30 will offer greater detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a little more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.