Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-7

Here is a in depth analysis of the Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-7, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and NEX-7 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-520 was released 4 years before the NEX-7 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-520 matches up against the NEX-7 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 & Sony Alpha NEX-7. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Sony NEX-7 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-520 has got external dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) and the Sony NEX-7 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-7 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-520 compared to the NEX-7.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and NEX-7 is 68 and 84 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to see the gap in sensor sizing merely by going through specs. The visual below will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and NEX-7.

All in all, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-520 due to its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony NEX-7 will show greater detail as a result of its extra 14 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older E-520 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.