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Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 front
Portability
92
Imaging
51
Features
44
Overall
48

Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100 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
  • Introduced August 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-510
Sony QX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • " Fixed Display
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 179g - 63 x 63 x 56mm
  • Introduced September 2013
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100 Overview

Below, we are contrasting the Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Lens-style by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and QX100 (20MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and QX100 (1") come with different sensor sizing.

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The E-520 was revealed 6 years prior to the QX100 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony QX100 being a Lens-style camera.

Before getting straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the E-520 matches up versus the QX100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony QX100

 E-520 QX100 
Display dimension2.7""Larger display (+2.7")
Display resolution230k0kSharper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony QX100 over the Olympus E-520

 QX100 E-520 
IntroducedSeptember 2013August 2008Fresher by 61 months
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony QX100

 E-520 QX100 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera often, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 provides 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 QX100 has measurements of 63mm x 63mm x 56mm (2.5" x 2.5" x 2.2") along with a weight of 179 grams (0.39 lbs).

See the Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at the time. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-520 against the QX100.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and QX100 is 68 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizing only by researching a spec sheet. The visual below might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and QX100.

As you can see, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-520 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Sony QX100 will provide you with extra detail because of its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos much more aggressively. The older E-520 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-520
Portrait photography with Sony QX100
59
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
low MP (10MP)
53
focusing manually
decent megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
includes face detect focus
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Street photography camera
Sony QX100 as a Street photography camera
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen does not articulate
71
built in image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
boasts focus via touch
fixed screen
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography info
Sony QX100 Sports photography info
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good battery life (650 CIPA)
comes with phase detect AF
max fps low (4.0 fps)
low MP (10MP)
55
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
not so great battery pack (200 shots)
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography info
Sony QX100 Travel photography info
52
good battery life (650 CIPA)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low MP (10MP)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
69
boasts focus via touch
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
really wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
does not have Timelapse function
not so great battery pack (200 shots)
does not have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony QX100 as a Landscape photography camera
58
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (650 per charge)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
low MP (10 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
54
focusing manually
really wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
small screen ( inches)
manual exposure not available
no RAW format
not so great battery pack (200 shots)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Vlogging camera
Sony QX100 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
38
really wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have selfie friendly screen
does not have microphone jack
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony QX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Sony QX100
 Olympus E-520Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-520 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100
Type Entry-Level DSLR Lens-style
Introduced 2008-08-20 2013-09-05
Body design Compact SLR Lens-style
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 160
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 3 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Largest aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7 inch -
Screen resolution 230k dot 0k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - Depends on connected smartphone
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye None
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4
Microphone 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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 552g (1.22 lbs) 179g (0.39 lbs)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 63 x 63 x 56mm (2.5" x 2.5" x 2.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 548 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 images 200 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BN,
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2, 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, Memory Stick Micro
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $400 $268