Olympus E-520 review
Image Quality
RAW / JPEG
JPEG quality is good in comparison with the Raw files, with punchy colours and adequate sharpness. The supplied trial of the Studio software features a wide array of adjustment options, though it’s a shame it’s only a trial. If you’re spending this sort of money on a DSLR, you should expect it to come with a program that can open and manipulate all its files, without any additional expense.
Exposure
The E-520 fares well with regards to exposure, with only the occasional underexposed image. Highlight control, at default, is still not too great, and means that either Shadow Adjustment Technology (SAT), Raw shooting or exposure compensation needs to be called upon to ensure detail is rendered. In most conditions, there shouldn’t be many issues.
Noise
Up to ISO 800, noise is generally well controlled, despite a little texture even at lower settings. ISO 800 seems to be the drop-off point, where noise begins to degrade images, and at ISO 1600 there’s plenty of it. Even so, one benefit of having a relatively more populated sensor is that noise shows quite a fine texture and evenness, and so is easier to remove. Perhaps what’s most impressive is how well detail and sharpness manage to hold up, with JPEGs after ISO 800 receiving a visibile sharpening boost to counter the effects of noise. We wouldn’t recommend using the noise filter on any three of its settings; detail is severely compromised and a good deal of chroma noise still remains even on the ‘High’ setting.
Tone And Contrast
Images generally have nice colour to them, with the Natural picture mode not being too dissimilar to the more saturated Vivid mode. SAT does a good job bringing out tones at either end of the scale, though we found its effects a little extreme in certain situations. SAT may also be applied to images in-camera after they have been shot.
Colour And White Balance
Olympus is said to have made improvments to the white balance systems on both cameras and we generally found Auto white balance to be accurate. At times, it produces a more accurate result than some of the preset settings although a slight magenta cast sometimes can unexpectedly form over lighter tones. Even so, it fares very well under mixed conditions and means that it can generally be relied upon.
Sharpness And Detail
At times, the E-520 really impressed with the sharpness of JPEGs produced, with JPEGs on the whole needing less sharpening than would usually be expected. Predictably, the worst performance came with the kit lens, though the sensor is clearly capable of capturing a lot of detail with good lenses.
Have your say!
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