Olympus E-520 vs Pentax K-5

Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-520 versus Pentax K-5, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and K-5 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and K-5 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-520 was introduced 3 years prior to the K-5 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go through a more detailed comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-520 matches up versus the K-5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 and Pentax K-5. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Pentax K-5 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 has physical dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 has measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-520 versus Pentax K-5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the E-520 vs the K-5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and K-5 is 68 and 60 respectively.

More often than not, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading a spec sheet. The visual underneath might provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and K-5.

As you can see, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-520 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Pentax K-5 will offer you extra detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures much more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.