Olympus E-520 vs Sony A500
68 Imaging
44 Features
45 Overall
44
63 Imaging
52 Features
52 Overall
52
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A500 Key Specs
(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
- Replaced the Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 12MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Launched August 2009
- Successor is Sony A560
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Following is a complete overview of the Olympus E-520 versus Sony A500, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the A500 (12MP) is very close but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and A500 (APS-C) provide different sensor dimensions.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe E-520 was launched 12 months prior to the A500 and they are of a similar generation. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).
Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-520 scores versus the A500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-520 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Sony A500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony A500
| E-520 | A500 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus E-520
| A500 | E-520 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | August 2009 |  | August 2008 | More modern by 12 months |
| Display type | Tilting |  | Fixed | Tilting display |
| Display dimensions | 3" |  | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony A500
| E-520 | A500 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus |  | Dial exact focusing | ||
| Display resolution | 230k |  | 230k | Same display resolution |
| Selfie screen |  | Missing selfie screen | ||
| Touch display |  | Missing Touch display |
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is going to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-520 offers external measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) and the Sony A500 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-520 versus Sony A500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the E-520 versus the A500.
Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and A500 is 68 and 63 respectively.
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it is hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizes simply by researching technical specs. The pic here might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and A500.
As you can tell, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-520 because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Sony A500 will render more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-520 will be behind in sensor technology.
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A500 Specifications
| Olympus E-520 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus E-520 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 |
| Class | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Announced | 2008-08-20 | 2009-08-27 |
| Physical type | Compact SLR | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | - | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 10 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Maximum resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4272 x 2848 |
| Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
| Minimum native ISO | 100 | 200 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| AF single | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| Center weighted AF | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detection AF | ||
| Contract detection AF | ||
| Phase detection AF | ||
| Total focus points | 3 | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Number of lenses | 45 | 143 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
| Screen size | 2.7 inch | 3 inch |
| Resolution of screen | 230 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch functionality | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 95% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | 0.53x |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Continuous shooting rate | 4.0 frames per second | 5.0 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 12.00 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Highest flash synchronize | 1/180 secs | 1/160 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Maximum video resolution | None | None |
| Mic support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| 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 gr (1.22 lbs) | 630 gr (1.39 lbs) |
| Physical dimensions | 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | 55 | 64 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 21.4 | 21.8 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.4 | 11.6 |
| DXO Low light rating | 548 | 772 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 650 photos | 520 photos |
| Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | - | NP-FM500H |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Card slots | 1 | 1 |
| Launch cost | $400 | $638 |