Olympus E-520: Update to a Top Seller

Olympus E-520 Competition

The Olympus E-520 competes in the entry-level DSLR class with a price of $699 with the 14-42mm kit lens. This has become a very crowded market in recent months with more and more features added to competing models to make them stand out from the crowd. That is great news for shoppers, who can now find a very competent 10MP interchangeable lens DSLR that is capable of capturing quality images for as little as $500. Olympus and Canon both use CMOS sensors, while the Nikon D60, Sony A300, and Pentax K200D all use CCD sensors. In the case of these three, they all use the same Sony CCD sensor that appeared in the last generation Nikon D80, Sony A100, and Pentax K10D.

Compared to even a year ago this table represents a truly capable selection of DSLR cameras that sell for a new low price of $699 or less with a lens. The Olympus E-420 and Sony A200 are even cheaper at $499 for the camera and kit lens. The E-420 does not include body-integral IS and the Sony A200 is the same sensor as the A300 with a bigger, brighter viewfinder but no Live View. The Sony Tilt LCD models with direct Live View straddle the $699 price point, at $599 for the A300 with the lens and $799 for the 14.2MP A350 with Lens Kit.

The E-520 stands out in several areas in its price class. It is the fastest rated in Continuous Shooting at this price point, with a specified 3.5fps. It also is the only camera in the group to offer three types of spot metering - normal spot plus highlight spot and shadow spot for very precise metering in difficult lighting conditions. You can also see that while the E-520 is a bit wider than the diminutive Canon XS and Nikon D60, it is not quite as tall and it is the lightest camera in its class. This is very much in line with the fact that the E-520 is the same design as the world's smallest DSLR, the E-420, only with a more substantial grip and built-in IS.

On the negative side, the E-520, like the Nikon D60, does not offer an accessory battery grip, which is important to some users. The viewfinder specification is also somewhat deceptive, since the smaller sensor actually makes the E-520 one of the most "tunnel-like" of the group. In testing these cameras, the E-520 and Sony A300/A350 were clearly the worst viewfinders of the lot. The E-520 partly compensates for this with a 2.7" LCD with 100% Live View and useful magnification for critical focusing.

Olympus states that many of the innovative features and electronics of the E-3 have been incorporated in the E-520, but that certainly does not include the new, super-fast 11-point double cross-point AF module used in the E-3. Instead the aging 3-point AF is continued, which like the Nikon D60 is no longer really competitive in its class. The new Contrast-Detect Live View does bring 11-point AF and Face Detection to the E-520, but normal AF is the familiar Olympus 3-pont AF; it's been sped-up a bit but is otherwise the same as past models.