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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II

Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
45
Overall
44
Olympus E-520 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 Mark II front
Portability
62
Imaging
75
Features
93
Overall
82

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II 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
  • Announced August 2008
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-510
Sony A9 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Bump to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 678g - 129 x 96 x 76mm
  • Introduced October 2019
  • Old Model is Sony A9
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II Overview

Following is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and A9 II (24MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and A9 II (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-520 was released 12 years earlier than the A9 II which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A9 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-520 matches up against the A9 II for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony A9 II

 E-520 A9 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 II over the Olympus E-520

 A9 II E-520 
IntroducedOctober 2019August 2008More modern by 135 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1440k230kSharper screen (+1210k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony A9 II

 E-520 A9 II 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-520 provides external measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Sony A9 II has specifications of 129mm x 96mm x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0") along with a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the E-520 compared to the A9 II.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and A9 II is 68 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very hard to envision the gap between sensor sizes purely by reading through technical specs. The pic underneath should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and A9 II.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-520 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony A9 II will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 14 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A9 II Portrait photography highlights
58
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
low MP (10 megapixels)
85
focusing manually
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
features face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography highlights
Sony A9 II Street photography highlights
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen does not articulate
78
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
boasts touch to focus
environment sealing
good ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A9 II as a Sports photography camera
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great battery life (650 per charge)
has phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
low MP (10MP)
87
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet mode (1/32,000s)
high frames per second (20.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
features tracking focus
environment sealing
better than average battery life (690 shots)
sensor has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography details
Sony A9 II Travel photography details
52
great battery life (650 shots)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse recording
low MP (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
73
better than average battery life (690 per charge)
environment sealing
has bluetooth
boasts touch to focus
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography details
Sony A9 II Landscape photography details
57
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (650 CIPA)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
low MP (10 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse recording
86
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
good ISO range (51,200)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
better than average battery life (690 shots)
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 Vlogging information
Sony A9 II Vlogging information
9
lack of video recording
36
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes mic jack
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A9 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Sony A9 II
 Olympus E-520Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-520 Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
Type Entry-Level DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2008-08-20 2019-10-03
Body design Compact SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - BIONZ X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 1600 51200
Highest enhanced ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Lowest enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 693
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 45 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 1,440 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.78x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 20.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution None 3840x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 552 grams (1.22 lb) 678 grams (1.49 lb)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 129 x 96 x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0")
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 690 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous, 3 or 5 frames)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Storage slots One 2
Cost at release $400 $4,498