DSLR Review: Olympus E-520

In the field

The E-520 body is compact, measuring 5.35 x 3.6 x 2.68 inches, and weighs just 16.75 ounces. The camera uses a penta-mirror design that makes it light and compact enough to shoot with all day and features a comfortable ergonomic grip to ensure that the camera fits snugly in either large or small hands. Its ergonomics were an excellent fit for both Mary (small hands) and I (medium-sized paws.) The E-520’s small size and high image quality make it a natural for travel photography when a larger more professionally-sized SLR might intimidate any of the locals you want to photograph.

The 10.1 megapixel E-520’s TruePic III Image Processor produces crystal-clear photos using all of the pixel information for each image to provide digital image files with accurate color, true-to-life skin tones, and brilliant blue skies. Olympus claims that TruePic III also lowers image noise by one stop to reduce graininess for images shot at higher ISO settings. A small chip such as the E520’s 17.3 x 13.0 mm Four-Thirds system sensor is technically more prone to noise under low light situations and long exposures, but the TruePic III processor does such a good job controlling noise so it’s not really an issue except under extreme conditions.

The E-520 outfit includes a compact Zuiko Digital ED 14–42 mm (28-84mm equivalent) f/3.5–f5.6 lens that perfectly matches the imager so light directly strikes the sensor to ensure accurate colors and edge-to-edge sharpness. The lens weighs 7.5 ounces, uses ED glass, and covers the range most frequently used in everyday photography. Close-ups as near as 9.84 inches also are possible throughout the zoom range. The lens is so sharp that when magnifying images I made of hot rods to extremely large sizes on my monitor I could see the sharply outlined shapes of the metallic content of the paint.

Joe Farace

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