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Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300

Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
45
Overall
44
Olympus E-520 front
 
Samsung NX300 front
Portability
86
Imaging
61
Features
73
Overall
65

Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300 Key Specs

Olympus E-520
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 552g - 136 x 92 x 68mm
  • Released August 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-510
Samsung NX300
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Samsung NX Mount
  • 331g - 122 x 64 x 41mm
  • Revealed November 2013
  • Superseded the Samsung NX210
  • Successor is Samsung NX500
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Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300 Overview

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Samsung. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and NX300 (20MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and NX300 (APS-C) possess different sensor size.

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The E-520 was manufactured 6 years before the NX300 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Samsung NX300 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a in-depth comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-520 scores against the NX300 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Samsung NX300

 E-520 NX300 

Reasons to pick Samsung NX300 over the Olympus E-520

 NX300 E-520 
RevealedNovember 2013August 2008More recent by 64 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3.3"2.7"Larger display (+0.6")
Display resolution768k230kClearer display (+538k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Samsung NX300

 E-520 NX300 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera, you need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-520 comes with physical measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Samsung NX300 has specifications of 122mm x 64mm x 41mm (4.8" x 2.5" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 331 grams (0.73 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-520 against the NX300.

Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and NX300 is 68 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is tough to picture the contrast in sensor measurements only by researching a spec sheet. The photograph here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and NX300.

As you can see, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-520 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Samsung NX300 will render greater detail due to its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-520
Portrait photography with Samsung NX300
58
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
sensor resolution low (10MP)
76
you can focus manually
good resolution (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Street photography camera
Samsung NX300 as a Street photography camera
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no moving screen
80
screen tilts up and down
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
boasts touch to focus
above average high ISO (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography highlights
Samsung NX300 Sports photography highlights
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
better than average battery (650 shots)
supports phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
72
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000s)
good resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
sensor has phase detect auto focus
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography details
Samsung NX300 Travel photography details
52
better than average battery (650 shots)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
66
boasts touch to focus
good resolution (20MP)
no Time Lapse recording
does not posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography information
Samsung NX300 Landscape photography information
57
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
better than average battery (650 CIPA)
small screen (2.7 inches)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
missing Timelapse recording
71
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Samsung NX mount)
screen size is good (3.3 inch)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
above average high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Vlogging camera
Samsung NX300 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
33
built-in touchscreen
comes with face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not posses selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
no external mic socket
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Olympus E-520 vs Samsung NX300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Samsung NX300
 Olympus E-520Samsung NX300
General Information
Make Olympus Samsung
Model type Olympus E-520 Samsung NX300
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2008-08-20 2013-11-24
Physical type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - DRIMe IV
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 1600 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 3 247
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Samsung NX
Amount of lenses 45 32
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7 inches 3.3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dots 768k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology - Active Matrix OLED screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/6000s
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per sec 9.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, 1st/2nd Curtain, Smart Flash, Manual
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 552 grams (1.22 lb) 331 grams (0.73 lb)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 122 x 64 x 41mm (4.8" x 2.5" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 76
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 12.7
DXO Low light rating 548 942
Other
Battery life 650 photographs 330 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - BP1130
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 sec to 30 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $400 $750