Olympus E-520 vs Sony W690

Below is a extended overview of the Olympus E-520 vs Sony W690, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and W690 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and W690 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-520 was manufactured 4 years prior to the W690 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W690 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-520 grades vs the W690 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Sony W690 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-520 comes with 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) while the Sony W690 has proportions of 94mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-520 vs Sony W690 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at that time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-520 vs the W690.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and W690 is 68 and 95 respectively.

Normally, it is very difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements purely by going over a spec sheet. The visual underneath should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and W690.

As you can see, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-520 featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving bokeh easier and the Sony W690 will deliver extra detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.