Olympus E-520 vs Sony A100

Following is a complete assessment of the Olympus E-520 and Sony A100, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the A100 (10MP) is very comparable but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and A100 (APS-C) use different sensor measurements.

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The E-520 was released 2 years after the A100 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a short view of how the E-520 grades versus the A100 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-520 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Sony A100 Gallery.

If you are going to carry around your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 offers physical dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Sony A100 has measurements of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") and a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-520 and Sony A100 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the E-520 versus the A100.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and A100 is 68 and 64 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to picture the difference in sensor sizes only by seeing a spec sheet. The pic below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and A100.

Clearly, both cameras posses the exact same megapixel count but different sensor sizes. The E-520 uses the smaller sensor which will make achieving shallow depth of field tougher. The younger E-520 should have an edge with regard to sensor technology.