Olympus E-520 vs Sony A55
68 Imaging
44 Features
45 Overall
44


67 Imaging
55 Features
80 Overall
65
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A55 Key Specs
(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
- Released August 2008
- Succeeded the Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
- Released August 2010
- Successor is Sony A57

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A55 Overview
Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-520 versus Sony A55, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and A55 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and A55 (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

The E-520 was unveiled 24 months earlier than the A55 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. The two cameras offer the identical body type (Compact SLR).
Before diving in to a full comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-520 grades versus the A55 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A55 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-520 & Sony SLT-A55. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony A55
E-520 | A55 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Olympus E-520
A55 | E-520 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | August 2010 | ![]() | August 2008 | More modern by 24 months |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 921k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+691k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony A55
E-520 | A55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | More accurate focus | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither comes with Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison
When you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to factor in 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") having a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) and the Sony A55 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-520 versus Sony A55 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at that moment. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-520 versus the A55.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and A55 is 68 and 67 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it is very tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizes simply by going over a spec sheet. The image underneath might offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and A55.
As you can see, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-520 having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A55 will offer extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A55 Specifications
Olympus E-520 | Sony SLT-A55 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus E-520 | Sony SLT-A55 |
Category | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Released | 2008-08-20 | 2010-08-24 |
Body design | Compact SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | - | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4912 x 3264 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
Maximum enhanced ISO | - | 25600 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | 15 |
Cross focus points | - | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Number of lenses | 45 | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Display diagonal | 2.7 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 230 thousand dot | 921 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,150 thousand dot |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | 0.73x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shutter speed | 4.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/180 seconds | 1/160 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Microphone jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 552g (1.22 lbs) | 500g (1.10 lbs) |
Dimensions | 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") | 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 55 | 73 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.4 | 23.0 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.4 | 12.4 |
DXO Low light score | 548 | 816 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 650 images | 380 images |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Retail price | $400 | $800 |