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Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-6 front
Portability
85
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6 Key Specs

Olympus E-520
(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
  • Released August 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-510
Sony NEX-6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 345g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Revealed March 2013
  • Replacement is Sony A6000
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6 Overview

On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and NEX-6 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and NEX-6 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-520 was unveiled 5 years prior to the NEX-6 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a complete comparison, here is a simple summary of how the E-520 grades against the NEX-6 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony NEX-6

 E-520 NEX-6 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-6 over the Olympus E-520

 NEX-6 E-520 
RevealedMarch 2013August 2008More modern by 55 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony NEX-6

 E-520 NEX-6 
Focus manually Very precise focus
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 features external dimensions 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-6 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 345 grams (0.76 lbs).

See the Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have at that time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the E-520 and the NEX-6.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and NEX-6 is 68 and 85 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes only by checking out technical specs. The image below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and NEX-6.

As you can tell, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-520 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony NEX-6 will provide greater detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-520 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 Portrait photography info
Sony NEX-6 Portrait photography info
59
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
low resolution (10 megapixels)
74
manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography details
Sony NEX-6 Street photography details
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no moving screen
78
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lighter than average in class (345g)
good high ISO (25,600)
no image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Sports photography camera
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
better than average battery power (650 per charge)
has phase detect AF
low fps (4.0 fps)
low resolution (10 megapixels)
66
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography advice
Sony NEX-6 Travel photography advice
52
better than average battery power (650 per charge)
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low resolution (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
75
lighter than average in class (345g)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography factors
Sony NEX-6 Landscape photography factors
58
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (650 CIPA)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
low resolution (10MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
75
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video shooting
32
offers face detection autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average in class (345g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
lack of external mic jack
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-6 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Sony NEX-6
 Olympus E-520Sony Alpha NEX-6
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-520 Sony Alpha NEX-6
Category Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2008-08-20 2013-03-25
Body design Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - 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 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 1600 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 3 99
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 45 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology - Xtra Fine LCD with Tilt Up 90� and Down 45�
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 4.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 552g (1.22 pounds) 345g (0.76 pounds)
Physical dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 78
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 13.1
DXO Low light score 548 1018
Other
Battery life 650 images 360 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $400 $365