Olympus E-520 vs Pentax K-5 II

On this page, we are contrasting the Olympus E-520 versus Pentax K-5 II, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a substantial difference among the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and K-5 II (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and K-5 II (APS-C) provide different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-520 was introduced 5 years earlier than the K-5 II and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting right into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-520 matches up vs the K-5 II in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-520 & Pentax K-5 II. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Pentax K-5 II Gallery.

In case you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-520 offers outer 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 II has proportions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-520 versus Pentax K-5 II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-520 compared to the K-5 II.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and K-5 II is 68 and 60 respectively.

Often, it's hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements purely by researching specs. The photograph here should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and K-5 II.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-520 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Pentax K-5 II will result in more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.