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Olympus E-520 vs Sony H55

Portability
68
Imaging
44
Features
45
Overall
44
Olympus E-520 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Olympus E-520 vs Sony H55 Key Specs

Olympus E-520
(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
  • Replaced the Olympus E-510
Sony H55
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 200g - 103 x 58 x 29mm
  • Announced June 2010
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-520 vs Sony H55 Overview

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-520 and Sony H55, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and H55 (14MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and H55 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The E-520 was released 22 months before the H55 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony H55 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-520 grades against the H55 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony H55

 E-520 H55 
Manually focus More precise focusing

Reasons to pick Sony H55 over the Olympus E-520

 H55 E-520 
AnnouncedJune 2010August 2008Fresher by 22 months
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony H55

 E-520 H55 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display resolution230k230kExact same display resolution
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Olympus E-520 vs Sony H55 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll have to consider 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) while the Sony H55 has dimensions of 103mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-520 and Sony H55 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-520 against the H55.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony H55 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and H55 is 68 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony H55 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony H55 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its tough to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing merely by going over a spec sheet. The visual here may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and H55.

As you can see, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-520 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Sony H55 will offer you extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony H55 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony H55 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Sony H55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-520
Portrait photography with Sony H55
58
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
low MP (10 megapixels)
28
MP count good (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography information
Sony H55 Street photography information
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no moving screen
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography details
Sony H55 Sports photography details
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
great battery life (650 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect AF
slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
low MP (10MP)
38
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography information
Sony H55 Travel photography information
52
great battery life (650 CIPA)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse function
low MP (10MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
67
MP count good (14MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
great reach (250mm)
missing Timelapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography info
Sony H55 Landscape photography info
57
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
great battery life (650 CIPA)
tiny screen (2.7")
low MP (10 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse function
42
quite wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not available
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 Vlogging features
Sony H55 Vlogging features
9
can't record video
28
quite wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone support
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony H55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Sony H55
 Olympus E-520Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-520 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2008-08-20 2010-06-16
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 1600 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.80 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Slow Syncro, Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - MPEG-4
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 552g (1.22 lbs) 200g (0.44 lbs)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 103 x 58 x 29mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 548 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 photos -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID - NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/ portrait2)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $400 $235