Olympus E-520 review
Review Date : Mon, 4 Aug 2008
Author : Matt Golowczynski
- Product Shots: View product shots of the Olympus E-520
- Sample Photos: View sample photos of the Olympus E-520
The 10-megapixel Olympus E-520 is the bigger brother of the E-420. The primary difference between the two is that the E-520 benefits from in-camera image stabilisation technology.
| Pros: | Superb handling, dust reduction, effective image stabilisation, consistent AWB. |
|---|---|
| Cons: | Power switch, highlight control, slow AF system with standard lenses. |
You'd be forgiven for thinking that the Four Thirds system has been around longer than its years. Having quietly celebrated its fifth birthday last year, the system has to date notched up 13 DSLR bodies and 37 lenses, with help from a range of manufacturers and the backing of an ardent supporter base.
Olympus has been at the forefront of this, most notably pioneering live view and its dust reduction system, technologies later adopted by other DSLR manufacturers for their own models. The E-520 features both of these, and also continues the evolution of the live view system.
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Latest comments
October 01 14:49
Stephen Brasure
With the release of the Olympus E-620, the E-520 is now available at some very low prices (at least in the United States). It's hard to find a better deal than the E-520 lens kit, which is a great camera for those purchasing their first digital SLR. Having purchased a dual lens kit for my first SLR, I'm more than pleased with the camera's performance but you do have to be aware of it's limitations, as with any camera. One advantage of the Olympus E-520 is the quality of the JPEG images straight from the camera. They are usually quite excellent, and those who prefer to avoid a lot of post processing should compare JPEG quality of the 520 with images from other entry level SLR cameras. The quality of Olypus Zuiko lenses available for the E-520 is generally considered to be excellent and competitive with comparable offerings from Canon and Nikon. And again, for the average consumer, buying into the 4/3 Olympus system isn't any more or less advantageous than purchasing other systems. That being said, if the purchaser plans to upgrade to a full sensor body, than sticking with Canon or NIkon or other system may be preferable. With the availability of quality lenses, getting started with a 520 system can be a very cost effective means to enter SLR photography. And, there is always the option of upgrading to a newer body i.e. E-620 as prices come down or newer bodies are released. Bottom line..........the Olympus E-520 is a very competent and cost effective camera system for most consumers.
May 26 16:35
Peter Bower
Quite frankly, most photographers would not notice the limitations of the 520, because they would never put the camera to extremes of use. 99% will just shoot on auto with perhaps a few minor adjustments. On the positive side, I have not seen better landscapes than with the Olympus 510/520. Only the Sony 850 equals it but look at the price difference. Olympus kit lenses are supurb for the money and must be class leaders. Fit an Olympus 14 - 54 F 2.8 zoom and you will get pro results that are hard to beat. I still prefer the 510 over the newer 620 because for me the pop art is of very low priority in taking factual pictures. I want real life reproduction and nothing more. Peter