Olympus E-520 vs Sony A850

Following is a complete overview of the Olympus E-520 vs Sony A850, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and A850 (25MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and A850 (Full frame) posses different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-520 was manufactured 20 months prior to the A850 which makes them a generation away from each other. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-520 matches up vs the A850 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Sony A850 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 features outer 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) while the Sony A850 has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

See the Olympus E-520 vs Sony A850 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Here is a front view size comparison of the E-520 compared to the A850.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and A850 is 68 and 54 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizes just by looking at specifications. The image underneath will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and A850.

Plainly, both of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-520 because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony A850 will resolve more detail due to its extra 15MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.