Olympus E-520 vs Sony A390
68 Imaging
44 Features
45 Overall
44
66 Imaging
53 Features
54 Overall
53
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A390 Key Specs
(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
- Replaced the Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 2.7" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
- Announced July 2010
- Previous Model is Sony A380
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images Olympus E-520 vs Sony A390 Overview
On this page, we will be matching up the Olympus E-520 and Sony A390, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and A390 (14MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and A390 (APS-C) posses different sensor size.
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthThe E-520 was released 23 months prior to the A390 which makes them a generation away from one another. The two cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).
Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-520 grades versus the A390 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video Olympus E-520 vs Sony A390 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-520 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A390. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Sony A390 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony A390
| E-520 | A390 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony A390 over the Olympus E-520
| A390 | E-520 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | July 2010 | August 2008 | Newer by 23 months | |
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony A390
| E-520 | A390 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus | Dial precise focusing | |||
| Screen dimensions | 2.7" | 2.7" | Equal screen size | |
| Screen resolution | 230k | 230k | The same screen resolution | |
| Selfie screen | No selfie screen | |||
| Touch friendly screen | No Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A390 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera often, you will have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 features exterior dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Sony A390 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") having a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).
See the Olympus E-520 and Sony A390 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-520 versus the A390.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and A390 is 68 and 66 respectively.
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A390 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions simply by going through specs. The picture below will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and A390.
As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-520 because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A390 will provide extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged E-520 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A390 Specifications
| Olympus E-520 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus E-520 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 |
| Class | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Launched | 2008-08-20 | 2010-07-28 |
| Physical type | Compact SLR | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | - | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
| 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 | 14 megapixel |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Maximum resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4592 x 3056 |
| Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 3200 |
| Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW files | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detect autofocus | ||
| Contract detect autofocus | ||
| Phase detect autofocus | ||
| Total focus points | 3 | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Amount of lenses | 45 | 143 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
| Display sizing | 2.7" | 2.7" |
| Resolution of display | 230k dots | 230k dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | 95 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | 0.49x |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
| Continuous shooting rate | 4.0 frames/s | 3.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 10.00 m (at ISO 100) |
| Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Maximum flash synchronize | 1/180 seconds | 1/160 seconds |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Maximum video resolution | None | None |
| Mic port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 552 grams (1.22 pounds) | 549 grams (1.21 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") | 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | 55 | 66 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 21.4 | 22.5 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.4 | 11.5 |
| DXO Low light rating | 548 | 607 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 650 shots | 230 shots |
| Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | - | NP-FH50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo |
| Card slots | Single | Single |
| Retail cost | $400 | $500 |