DCRP Review: Olympus E-520

The Olympus E-520 is a solid, full-featured digital SLR and an excellent value. For around $600 you get a camera that has features for both beginners and enthusiasts, good photo quality (in most situations), image stabilization, and responsive performance -- plus one of the better kit lenses on the market. The E-520 does have its flaws, though, including soft images, high ISO performance that's just fair, and the tendency to clip highlights. However, these issues shouldn't be much of a problem for the typical entry-level D-SLR buyer. While I'm not jumping up and down about it, the E-520 is still good enough to earn my recommendation.

The E-520 is a midsize digital SLR made mostly of plastic. Despite that, and its low price, the camera doesn't feel "cheap". The only build quality related item that bugged me was how easy it was to snap the battery door off. Thankfully, it snaps right back into place. The camera is easy to hold thanks to a nice-sized grip, though I wasn't a fan of the cluttered button arrangement. The camera has a standard FourThirds lens mount, and it supports all Zuiko digital lenses with a 2X focal length conversion factor. Since the E-520 has a sensor-shift image stabilization system, every lens you attach will have shake reduction. The camera also features Olympus' Supersonic Wave Filter, to help remove unsightly dust from the sensor.

On the back of the camera you'll find a 2.7" LCD display that can be used for live view, in addition to menu navigation and reviewing photos you've taken. The live view feature is decent, but it's been done better. It supports contrast detect autofocus on certain FourThirds lenses, but it's very slow. Face detection is available, but it didn't perform well in our tests. Visibility is just okay in bright outdoor light, but better in low light (even if it is in black and white). If you're using the E-520's viewfinder (which is the smallest of any digital SLR), the LCD turns into an information display, and you can quickly change most of the camera's settings at the push of a button.

Jeff Keller

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