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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7 III

Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
45
Overall
44
Olympus E-520 front
 
Sony Alpha A7 III front
Portability
63
Imaging
74
Features
92
Overall
81

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7 III 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
  • Announced August 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-510
Sony A7 III
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Push to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 650g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Revealed February 2018
  • Replaced the Sony A7 II
  • Renewed by Sony A7 IV
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7 III Overview

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus E-520 versus Sony A7 III, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and A7 III (24MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and A7 III (Full frame) have different sensor sizes.

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The E-520 was released 10 years before the A7 III which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A7 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-520 scores vs the A7 III when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony A7 III

 E-520 A7 III 

Reasons to pick Sony A7 III over the Olympus E-520

 A7 III E-520 
RevealedFebruary 2018August 2008More modern by 115 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kClearer screen (+692k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony A7 III

 E-520 A7 III 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7 III Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 enjoys external measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Sony A7 III has measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-520 versus Sony A7 III in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that moment. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-520 and the A7 III.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7 III size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and A7 III is 68 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7 III Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be hard to picture the difference in sensor sizes simply by looking through a spec sheet. The pic here should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and A7 III.

As you can see, the 2 cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-520 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A7 III will provide you with greater detail as a result of its extra 14 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The more aged E-520 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 Portrait photography factors
Sony A7 III Portrait photography factors
58
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focusing
saves RAW files
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
84
has manual focus
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography factors
Sony A7 III Street photography factors
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no articulating screen
78
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
includes focus via touch
environment sealing
good high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography advice
Sony A7 III Sports photography advice
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
better than average battery (650 CIPA)
supports phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
low resolution sensor (10MP)
87
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports tracking autofocus
environment sealing
good battery pack (610 per charge)
has phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography info
Sony A7 III Travel photography info
52
better than average battery (650 CIPA)
flash built-in
no Time Lapse function
low resolution sensor (10MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
73
good battery pack (610 shots)
environment sealing
connects via bluetooth
includes focus via touch
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography features
Sony A7 III Landscape photography features
57
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
better than average battery (650 per charge)
tiny screen (2.7")
low resolution sensor (10MP)
no Time Lapse function
85
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
good high ISO (51,200)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
good battery pack (610 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 Vlogging features
Sony A7 III Vlogging features
9
no video recording
36
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone jack
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Sony A7 III
 Olympus E-520Sony Alpha A7 III
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-520 Sony Alpha A7 III
Category Entry-Level DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2008-08-20 2018-02-27
Body design Compact SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 1600 51200
Highest enhanced ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Lowest enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 3 693
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 45 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.78x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual 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 modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye no built-in flash
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (120p, 60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution None 3840x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 552 grams (1.22 lb) 650 grams (1.43 lb)
Physical dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 96
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 25.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 14.7
DXO Low light rating 548 3730
Other
Battery life 650 shots 610 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One Two
Pricing at release $400 $1,998