Home > Consumer Reviews > Olympus Evolt E520 10MP Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization (Body Only)

Although I ended up buying the e510, the reasons might be of interest to people considering the e520 since both are still on the market. To be sure, these cameras have much in common. They both rate excellent image quality, resolution, color accuracy, very low to low noise from ISO 100 to 1600, and very high shadow detail. In addition, they are both of similar shape and easy to hold and handle. Further, like all Olympus DSLRs they are sturdy and have a low frequency of repair rate.

The e 520 improves on the e510 or adds the following features:
1) slightly improved dynamic range,
2) face detection,
3) ability to fire an Olympus flash remotely and still use TTL (the e510 can do this only on manual)
4) bigger LCD screen (2.7" vs. 2.5"),
5) faster processor, and
6) more scenes and profiles.

However, the e510:
1) is slightly smaller
2) is slightly lighter,
3) focuses a little faster, and
4) can be had for less than $550 with 2 lenses.

Size and weight were important in my decision because I take my cameras hiking and the added features of the e520 were not ones I considered deal breakers. However, it was the price of the 2 lens package that tipped me over the edge to buy the e510 as opposed to the e520.

While these are both very good, sturdy cameras there are some annoyances they share.
1. Both apparently have trouble focusing in low light. But, my experience says it has to be pretty dark for this to be a real problem.
2. I was aware of the low light focus problem when I bought the camera and figured one can always switch to manual focus. But, the focus ring on the lens requires a lot of movement making straight manual focus less useful than I had hoped it would be. Fortunately, Olympus includes a mode where you can auto-focus and then touch up manually.
3. Live view works but, compared to point and shoot cameras, is clunky and will never replace using the viewfinder, not that I want to. (I suspect this is true of all DSLR's with the possible exception of Sony and the cheapest camera they have with a Live View equivalent, the A300, costs more.) Live View is perhaps best reserved for macro shots.
4. I'm not sure if this is true of the e520, but on the e510 Live View seems to drain the battery at a very rapid rate. I'd be surprised if I could get 60 Live View pictures from a battery charge. (I've never seen this mentioned in reviews and would be curious if anyone else has had this experience.) However, I do believe the claim of about 500 shots without Live View.

I started photography using a 4 x 5 Speed Graflex (yes I know this dates me), graduated to a Canon film rangefinder, and Nikon film SLRs all the while doing my own darkroom work in B&W. I enjoyed the manual aspects of these early cameras I used and with my digital point and shoots cameras missed easy manual adjustments. I bought this camera so that it would be easier for me to be creative, that is, adjust ISO, f-stop, shutter speed, white balance, etc. And, compared to my Panasonic FZ5, the e510 is much easier to adjust, but still not as easy as my film cameras (not that I would give up digital photography or the digital darkroom). Magazine articles have noted that the menu system is complicated. I don't find this to be true, but then I'm used to Windows. In fact, I find most everything is easily accessible and, at most, just a few clicks away.

As noted above, image quality is excellent. I have yet to try RAW because the SHQ JPEG's with minimal compression (1:2.7) are reputed to be as good as RAW. But, as with all cameras with high mp sensors, be prepared for large files; these SHQ images are 6 - 7 mb. Of course, if you want the image quality advantage of a DSLR large file size is inevitable.

All in all I am happy with the e510. It is a good sturdy camera that produces excellent images. The lenses are lightweight and well matched to the camera. However, with advances in sensor design, I suspect that in the near future superzoom cameras such as the Panasonic FZ28 will provide image quality similar to today's DSLR without the price, bulk, or necessity to carry an extra lens. For folks who don't want to fuss with a camera or extra lenses but want a large range of lens focal lengths, superzooms might already be a better choice than a DSLR.

If you're wanting to step-up from a point and shoot digital camera, but on the fence about a DSLR versus SLR-like camera, then you can purchase the Olympus E-520 with confidence. There is absolutely no other entry or mid-priced system on the market that has the feature set for the price that you can get the Olympus E-520 for. I carefully researched and compared systems that possessed the features important to my family: live view, image stabilization, optical/sensor quality, and finally, PRICE.

Buy it now and you won't regret it. I'm using this camera in Iraq and am amazed at the quality of materials, the brightness of the rear LCD, and the ease of use. I replaced a destroyed Canon point and shoot and felt right at home with this system. The myriad of auto function and shooting modes ensures virtually idiot-proof quality photographs that you will be proud to share with family and friends.

If you can't already tell, I highly recommend this camera. I'm even thinking of purchasing an Olympus E-420 for my wife to replace her aging point and shoot when I return from Iraq.

I looked at several camera models from Olympus, Nikon, and Canon. While a lot of folks go with Canon or Nikon, I found the values and quality of the Olympus 510 or 520 to be much better.

I considered for a long time whether to pay less for the 510 or get the latest 520 for a little bit more money. I decided to go with 520 eventually and I am very happy with my decision. I also bought another 40 to 150 mm lens

The focus is very sharp, colors are very good. Picture quality is much better than I expected. At first, I used the Auto mode like many other DSLR beginners. Later, I tried different modes including P, A, S and could really create many different type of pictures. AE Bracket is very useful. I found image stabilization very useful. Occasionally, the pictures under expose a bit particularly indoors. But fear not, just set the exposure to overexpose by 0.3 or 0.7 and viola, the quality is great.

Some complained that 510/520 only has 3 AF points but other brands provide more. I think that is a good thing. That makes focusing so much easier when you only need to think about using 1 of the 3 points. If you use Live View, you can many more focus points. But so far I use view finder most of the time. Battery lasts forever. I have taken hundreds of pictures and haven't had the need to recharge.

All in all, this is an awesome camera.

I bought this camera in February for my photography class. I'm a returning college student and had an Canon XTI. I just wanted something that offered a little more bang for the buck and did I ever get that.
This little dynamo is packed with so many features that it seems to be a smaller version of it's big brothers the E-3 and E-30. Live view is fantastic, although I don't use it often, as I prefer the view finder. it's a nice feature. Face dection and shadow adjustment are wonderful tools. The ISO goes up to 1600 and I've seen no loss of resolution. I purchased the 40-150mm lens, which I love. It allows me to get a little closer to that hummingbird or butterfly!
I also have to mention the fantastic customer service I received recently. Olympus truly cares about their customers and it shows. They're knowledgeable about their product and remained on the phone with me for nearly an hour assisting me with my issue. The tech also went and got an E-520 so he could actually go into menus and settings with me on the phone to help me figure out what was wrong. The customer service makes this another great reason to own this camera.
Do I recommend the E-520? Highly. A fun camera with fantastic features at a great price and world class customer service. How can you go wrong?!

This camera is just about excellent. Its size and weight is very ideal, its built and design remarkable, and above all its performance and image quality is very good. And it's got loads of features(withn built-in IS too) that with patient exploring and tweeking, will give you results that's expected of a DSLR made by one of the finest names in the imaging industry. Plus, other than the kit lenses I got with it which aren't really bad, I got a lot more better Zuiko lenses to look forward to for higher levels of photography. As it is right now, I am very much satisfied with its performance. I will highly recommend this to a fellow enthusiast who aims to reach higher grounds in the art of photography. And the price makes it all worth it. Very good camera...in fact, excellent!