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Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 II

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
74
Overall
60

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 II 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
  • Revealed August 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-510
Sony RX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
  • Launched June 2013
  • Old Model is Sony RX100
  • Successor is Sony RX100 III
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 II Overview

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-520 and Sony RX100 II, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and RX100 II (1") use different sensor size.

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The E-520 was brought out 5 years prior to the RX100 II which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-520 grades vs the RX100 II with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony RX100 II

 E-520 RX100 II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Olympus E-520

 RX100 II E-520 
LaunchedJune 2013August 2008More modern by 59 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1229k230kSharper screen (+999k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony RX100 II

 E-520 RX100 II 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 II Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-520 comes with outer 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) whilst the Sony RX100 II has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-520 and Sony RX100 II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose during that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the E-520 compared to the RX100 II.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 II size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and RX100 II is 68 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 II Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizes just by researching specifications. The picture here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and RX100 II.

Plainly, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-520 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony RX100 II will result in more detail having its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-520 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX100 II Portrait photography advice
59
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
70
focusing manually
high flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
decent megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
offers face detection focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography information
Sony RX100 II Street photography information
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen does not articulate
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
lighter than average (281 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography factors
Sony RX100 II Sports photography factors
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great battery life (650 shots)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
offers tracking autofocus
great battery power (350 per charge)
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography information
Sony RX100 II Travel photography information
52
great battery life (650 per charge)
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse function
resolution not great (10MP)
does not posses selfie friendly display
80
great battery power (350 CIPA)
lighter than average (281 grams)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography highlights
Sony RX100 II Landscape photography highlights
58
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (650 per charge)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
resolution not great (10MP)
missing Time Lapse function
74
focusing manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
great battery power (350 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 Vlogging advice
Sony RX100 II Vlogging advice
9
no video shooting
37
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average (281g)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
does not have external mic socket
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Sony RX100 II
 Olympus E-520Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-520 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
Class Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2008-08-20 2013-06-27
Physical type Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor 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
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 160
RAW photos
Min boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Maximal aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology - Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W))
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180s 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 552 gr (1.22 lbs) 281 gr (0.62 lbs)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 67
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 22.5
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 12.4
DXO Low light score 548 483
Other
Battery life 650 shots 350 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (10 sec. / 2 sec. / Self-portrait One-person/ Self-portrait Two-person/ Self timer Continuous (3 or 5 shots))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Launch cost $400 $598