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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Sony Alpha A7c front
Portability
78
Imaging
76
Features
88
Overall
80

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c 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
  • Launched August 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-510
Sony A7c
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Expand to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 509g - 124 x 71 x 60mm
  • Launched September 2020
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and A7c (24MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and A7c (Full frame) feature different sensor measurements.

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The E-520 was unveiled 13 years prior to the A7c and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A7c being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving in to a thorough comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-520 scores vs the A7c with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony A7c

 E-520 A7c 

Reasons to pick Sony A7c over the Olympus E-520

 A7c E-520 
LaunchedSeptember 2020August 2008Fresher by 146 months
Screen typeFully articulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony A7c

 E-520 A7c 
Manually focus More exact focus

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 has got exterior measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Sony A7c has sizing of 124mm x 71mm x 60mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 2.4") having a weight of 509 grams (1.12 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have during that time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-520 compared to the A7c.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and A7c is 68 and 78 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizing purely by researching a spec sheet. The graphic here will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and A7c.

Clearly, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-520 using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh harder and the Sony A7c will result in extra detail having an extra 14 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A7c as a Portrait photography camera
59
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
saves RAW files
low resolution (10MP)
78
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
offers face detection focus
supports RAW files
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography highlights
Sony A7c Street photography highlights
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen does not articulate
85
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
supports RAW files
comes with focus by touch
environment proofing
very good ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography advice
Sony A7c Sports photography advice
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
great battery (650 per charge)
supports phase detect AF
slow frames per second (4.0 frames/s)
low resolution (10 megapixels)
88
quiet shutter (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
great battery pack (740 CIPA)
comes with phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography details
Sony A7c Travel photography details
52
great battery (650 shots)
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low resolution (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
86
great battery pack (740 per charge)
environment proofing
has bluetooth
comes with focus by touch
megapixel count good (24MP)
selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography information
Sony A7c Landscape photography information
58
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
great battery (650 CIPA)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
low resolution (10MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
88
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
very good ISO range (51,200)
supports RAW files
environment proofing
great battery pack (740 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 Vlogging highlights
Sony A7c Vlogging highlights
9
no video shooting
86
selfie friendly screen
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
does have external mic port
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A7c Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Sony A7c
 Olympus E-520Sony Alpha A7c
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-520 Sony Alpha A7c
Class Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2008-08-20 2020-09-14
Body design Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 1600 51200
Max enhanced ISO - 204800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Minimum enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 3 693
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 45 122
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully articulated
Display size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.59x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Max quiet shutter speed - 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye no built-in flash
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution None 3840x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 552g (1.22 pounds) 509g (1.12 pounds)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 124 x 71 x 60mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 2.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 548 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 photos 740 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-II supported)
Storage slots 1 1
Retail price $400 $1,800