Olympus E-520 vs Pentax Q10

Below is a detailed overview of the Olympus E-520 versus Pentax Q10, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the Q10 (12MP) is relatively similar but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and Q10 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-520 was released 5 years before the Q10 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax Q10 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-520 matches up vs the Q10 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 & Pentax Q10. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Pentax Q10 Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you will have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 has got physical measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Pentax Q10 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-520 versus Pentax Q10 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is a front view size comparison of the E-520 vs the Q10.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and Q10 is 68 and 92 respectively.

More often than not, it is difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements just by reviewing specifications. The graphic underneath might provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and Q10.

Plainly, both of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-520 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Pentax Q10 will deliver more detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.