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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Sony SLT-A57 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
85
Overall
68

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57 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
  • Launched August 2008
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-510
Sony A57
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 618g - 132 x 98 x 81mm
  • Released September 2012
  • Previous Model is Sony A55
  • Later Model is Sony A58
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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.

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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.

Photography Glossary
	
	

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 
ReleasedSeptember 2012August 2008Newer by 49 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kSharper 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57 size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-520
Portrait photography with Sony A57
59
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
74
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Street photography camera
Sony A57 as a Street photography camera
65
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen does not articulate
75
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography details
Sony A57 Sports photography details
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
better than average battery (650 CIPA)
has phase detect autofocus
low fps (4.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking focus
sensor has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A57 as a Travel photography camera
52
better than average battery (650 per charge)
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
67
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
missing Time Lapse function
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography info
Sony A57 Landscape photography info
58
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
better than average battery (650 shots)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
doesn't have Timelapse function
72
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A57 as a Vlogging camera
9
lack of video recording
77
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes mic support
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Olympus E-520 vs Sony A57 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Sony A57
 Olympus E-520Sony 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