Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX10

Following is a in depth review of the Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX10, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and RX10 (20MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and RX10 (1") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-520 was launched 6 years before the RX10 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-520 matches up against the RX10 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Sony RX10 Gallery.

If you are planning to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 provides outer 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 RX10 has measurements of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") with a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX10 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the E-520 compared to the RX10.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and RX10 is 68 and 58 respectively.

Sometimes, it is difficult to see the contrast between sensor sizes only by reading through specs. The image below will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and RX10.

All in all, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-520 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony RX10 will give you more detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.