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Olympus E-520 vs Pentax RZ18

Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
45
Overall
44
Olympus E-520 front
 
Pentax Optio RZ18 front
Portability
92
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax RZ18 Key Specs

Olympus E-520
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 552g - 136 x 92 x 68mm
  • Introduced August 2008
  • Older Model is Olympus E-510
Pentax RZ18
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-450mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 97 x 61 x 33mm
  • Released September 2011
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Olympus E-520 vs Pentax RZ18 Overview

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus E-520 versus Pentax RZ18, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and RZ18 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and RZ18 (1/2.3") have different sensor dimensions.

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The E-520 was brought out 4 years before the RZ18 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax RZ18 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-520 matches up vs the RZ18 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Pentax RZ18

 E-520 RZ18 

Reasons to pick Pentax RZ18 over the Olympus E-520

 RZ18 E-520 
ReleasedSeptember 2011August 2008More modern by 37 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Pentax RZ18

 E-520 RZ18 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax RZ18 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-520 features outside 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) while the Pentax RZ18 has specifications of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-520 versus Pentax RZ18 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-520 vs the RZ18.

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax RZ18 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and RZ18 is 68 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax RZ18 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax RZ18 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be tough to imagine the difference between sensor sizes simply by reviewing specs. The picture underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and RZ18.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-520 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Pentax RZ18 will offer you greater detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax RZ18 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 Portrait photography info
Pentax RZ18 Portrait photography info
58
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
36
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography advice
Pentax RZ18 Street photography advice
65
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
fixed screen
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
lighter than competition (178g)
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-520
Sports photography with Pentax RZ18
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good battery life (650 shots)
sensor has phase detect AF
low frames per second (4.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
47
incredible zoom range (25-450mm 18.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
includes tracking autofocus
environment sealing
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-520
Travel photography with Pentax RZ18
52
good battery life (650 CIPA)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
71
lighter than competition (178 grams)
environment sealing
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
great reach (450mm)
no Timelapse recording
does not posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography information
Pentax RZ18 Landscape photography information
57
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (650 shots)
small screen (2.7 inches)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse mode
49
you can focus manually
pretty wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
no Timelapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax RZ18 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video shooting
30
pretty wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (178g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone support
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Olympus E-520 vs Pentax RZ18 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Pentax RZ18
 Olympus E-520Pentax Optio RZ18
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-520 Pentax Optio RZ18
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2008-08-20 2011-09-12
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-450mm (18.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focusing range - 4cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 2.80 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 552g (1.22 lbs) 178g (0.39 lbs)
Physical dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 97 x 61 x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 548 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $400 $210