Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-5T
68 Imaging
44 Features
45 Overall
44


89 Imaging
57 Features
79 Overall
65
Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-5T 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
- Released August 2008
- Old Model is Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
- Released August 2013
- Superseded the Sony NEX-5R

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-5T Overview
In this write-up, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-520 and Sony NEX-5T, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and NEX-5T (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5T (APS-C) feature different sensor measurements.

The E-520 was brought out 6 years prior to the NEX-5T which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5T being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-520 matches up vs the NEX-5T with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-5T Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-520 & Sony Alpha NEX-5T. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Sony NEX-5T Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony NEX-5T
E-520 | NEX-5T |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5T over the Olympus E-520
NEX-5T | E-520 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | August 2013 | ![]() | August 2008 | Newer by 61 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 922k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+692k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony NEX-5T
E-520 | NEX-5T | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | More precise focusing |
Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-5T Physical Comparison
For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-520 features 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) whilst the Sony NEX-5T has dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-520 and Sony NEX-5T in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that moment. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-520 compared to the NEX-5T.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and NEX-5T is 68 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-5T Sensor Comparison
Usually, it's difficult to picture the gap between sensor dimensions simply by reading through specs. The picture here might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and NEX-5T.
As you can plainly see, each of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-520 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh trickier and the Sony NEX-5T will give more detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-5T Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-5T Specifications
Olympus E-520 | Sony Alpha NEX-5T | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus E-520 | Sony Alpha NEX-5T |
Category | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Released | 2008-08-20 | 2013-08-27 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | - | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 365.0mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4912 x 3264 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Touch to focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | 99 |
Cross focus points | - | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Number of lenses | 45 | 121 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 2.7 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 230k dots | 922k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Display technology | - | Tilt Up 180° Down 50° TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic (optional) |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter rate | 4.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 7.00 m (ISO100) |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/180s | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x1080 (60p/60i/24p) |
Max video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 552 grams (1.22 pounds) | 276 grams (0.61 pounds) |
Dimensions | 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") | 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 55 | 78 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.4 | 23.6 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.4 | 13.0 |
DXO Low light score | 548 | 1015 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 650 pictures | 330 pictures |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | NPFW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes ((10/2 sec. delay), Self-timer (Cont.) (with 10 sec. delay; 3/5 exposures)) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Price at release | $400 | $400 |