Olympus E-520 vs Sony HX300

On this page, we are matching up the Olympus E-520 versus Sony HX300, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and HX300 (20MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and HX300 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor size.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-520 was revealed 5 years before the HX300 which is quite a large gap 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 HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-520 scores against the HX300 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-520 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Sony HX300 Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 has got exterior dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Sony HX300 has sizing of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") accompanied by a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).

See the Olympus E-520 versus Sony HX300 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-520 vs the HX300.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and HX300 is 68 and 63 respectively.

In many cases, its tough to see the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by looking at specifications. The image underneath should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and HX300.

Plainly, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-520 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony HX300 will give you extra detail because of its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.