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Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 V

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V front
Portability
89
Imaging
53
Features
80
Overall
63

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 V Key Specs

Olympus E-520
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 552g - 136 x 92 x 68mm
  • Revealed August 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-510
Sony RX100 V
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 299g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Introduced October 2016
  • Replaced the Sony RX100 IV
  • Updated by Sony RX100 VI
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 V Overview

Its time to examine more closely at the Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 V, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and RX100 V (20MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and RX100 V (1") use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-520 was announced 9 years before the RX100 V and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 V being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the E-520 matches up against the RX100 V with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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

 E-520 RX100 V 

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

 RX100 V E-520 
IntroducedOctober 2016August 2008Fresher by 98 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1229k230kCrisper display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

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

 E-520 RX100 V 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 V Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-520 features outer measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Sony RX100 V has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") and a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 V in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-520 vs the RX100 V.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 V size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and RX100 V is 68 and 89 respectively.

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

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 V Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is difficult to see the difference between sensor sizing simply by checking specs. The graphic underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and RX100 V.

All in all, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-520 with its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Sony RX100 V will give more detail with its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 V Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-520
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 V
59
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
66
you can focus manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
good resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
supports face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography information
Sony RX100 V Street photography information
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is fixed
85
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
lighter than others (299 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-520
Sports photography with Sony RX100 V
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good battery life (650 per charge)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (10MP)
70
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (24.0 fps)
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
supports tracking focus
sensor has phase detect AF
terrible battery life (220 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-520
Travel photography with Sony RX100 V
52
good battery life (650 per charge)
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
low megapixels (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
80
lighter than others (299 grams)
good resolution (20MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
decently wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
terrible battery life (220 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 V as a Landscape photography camera
58
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (650 shots)
small screen (2.7 inches)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse function
70
you can focus manually
decently wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
terrible battery life (220 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-520
Vlogging with Sony RX100 V
9
no video recording
81
decently wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly display
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focusing
great video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
lighter than others (299 grams)
missing microphone socket
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony RX100 V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Sony RX100 V
 Olympus E-520Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-520 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V
Category Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2008-08-20 2016-10-06
Physical type Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz X
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 alias 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 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW data
Min enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 3 315
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Available lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.59x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter rate 4.0fps 24.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 10.20 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye -
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180s 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 552g (1.22 lbs) 299g (0.66 lbs)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 70
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 12.4
DXO Low light rating 548 586
Other
Battery life 650 pictures 220 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $400 $998