Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57
68 Imaging
44 Features
45 Overall
44


64 Imaging
57 Features
85 Overall
68
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57 Key Specs
(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
- Launched August 2008
- Earlier Model is Olympus E-510
(Full Review)

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57 Overview
Below, we will be comparing the Olympus E-520 and Sony A57, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and A57 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and A57 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

The E-520 was announced 5 years earlier than the A57 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).
Before delving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-520 scores vs the A57 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-520 and Sony SLT-A57. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Sony A57
E-520 | A57 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Olympus E-520
A57 | E-520 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | September 2012 | ![]() | August 2008 | Newer by 49 months |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 921k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+691k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Sony A57
E-520 | A57 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very exact focus | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Neither features Touch screen |
Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison
In case you're intending to travel with your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 enjoys exterior dimensions 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 A57 has sizing of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).
See the Olympus E-520 and Sony A57 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-520 vs the A57.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and A57 is 68 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions only by reviewing specifications. The image here will help offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and A57.
Plainly, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-520 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A57 will offer extra detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57 Specifications
Olympus E-520 | Sony SLT-A57 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-520 | Sony SLT-A57 |
Type | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Launched | 2008-08-20 | 2012-09-13 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4912 x 3264 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 16000 |
Maximum boosted ISO | - | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch to focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 15 |
Cross type focus points | - | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Available lenses | 45 | 143 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Screen sizing | 2.7" | 3" |
Screen resolution | 230 thousand dots | 921 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Screen technology | - | Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,440 thousand dots |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | 0.7x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shooting rate | 4.0 frames per sec | 12.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash synchronize | 1/180s | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
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 | 552 grams (1.22 lb) | 618 grams (1.36 lb) |
Dimensions | 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") | 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 55 | 75 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.4 | 23.4 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.4 | 13.0 |
DXO Low light rating | 548 | 785 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 650 pictures | 550 pictures |
Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch pricing | $400 | $1,000 |