Olympus E-520 vs Sony A580
68 Imaging
44 Features
45 Overall
44
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64 Imaging
56 Features
82 Overall
66
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A580 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
- Introduced August 2008
- Superseded the Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Introduced May 2011
- Previous Model is Sony A100
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A580 Overview
The following is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-520 and Sony A580, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and A580 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and A580 (APS-C) have totally different sensor dimensions.
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The E-520 was released 3 years prior to the A580 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).
Before getting right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-520 matches up against the A580 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A580 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Sony A580 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony A580
E-520 | A580 |
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Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Olympus E-520
A580 | E-520 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | May 2011 | ![]() | August 2008 | Newer by 33 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 922k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer screen (+692k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony A580
E-520 | A580 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very precise focusing | ||
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither has selfie screen | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Neither has Touch screen |
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A580 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is going to travel with your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-520 has exterior 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 A580 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).
See the Olympus E-520 and Sony A580 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-520 against the A580.
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Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and A580 is 68 and 64 respectively.
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A580 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it's tough to see the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by researching specifications. The pic here should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and A580.
Plainly, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-520 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony A580 will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-520 will be behind in sensor tech.
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A580 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A580 Specifications
Olympus E-520 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-520 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 |
Class | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Introduced | 2008-08-20 | 2011-05-26 |
Body design | Compact SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | - | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4912 x 3264 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
Max enhanced ISO | - | 25600 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 15 |
Cross type focus points | - | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Number of lenses | 45 | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display size | 2.7 inch | 3 inch |
Display resolution | 230 thousand dot | 922 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 95% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter speed | 4.0fps | 7.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 12.00 m |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | 1/180s | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
Max video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 552 grams (1.22 pounds) | 599 grams (1.32 pounds) |
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 Overall rating | 55 | 80 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.4 | 23.8 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.4 | 13.3 |
DXO Low light rating | 548 | 1121 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 650 images | 1050 images |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | One | 2 |
Pricing at release | $400 | $848 |