Olympus E-520 vs Sony HX200V

The following is a detailed analysis of the Olympus E-520 and Sony HX200V, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and HX200V (18MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and HX200V (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-520 was unveiled 4 years before the HX200V which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX200V being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-520 scores versus the HX200V with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-520 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Sony HX200V Gallery.

For those who are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-520 comes with physical 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) and the Sony HX200V has dimensions of 122mm x 87mm x 93mm (4.8" x 3.4" x 3.7") along with a weight of 583 grams (1.29 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-520 and Sony HX200V in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at the time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-520 compared to the HX200V.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and HX200V is 68 and 66 respectively.

Usually, its difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions just by checking technical specs. The picture underneath will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and HX200V.

As you have seen, both cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-520 using its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Sony HX200V will resolve extra detail having an extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.