Olympus' 10MP EVOLT E-520 DSLR gets reviewed

Although we were able to take an all-too-brief peek at Olympus' EVOLT E-520 late last month, the results weren't exactly indicative of what this thing is capable of -- you know, considering the unit in question was defective. The cats over at PhotographyBLOG managed to secure a fully functional unit, and results were much, much improved. Although reviewers didn't go quite so far as to call it the perfect camera, it sure came close in their eyes. Aside from the depressingly small viewfinder and the low quantity of AF sensors, critics found the unit quite hard to bash. Overall, it managed to snag a stellar 4.5 out of 5 rating, and better still, it was said to be just the thing for "beginners and enthusiasts alike." Taking Olympus more seriously in your search for a suitable DSLR just might be in order.

[John Doe @ Jul 30th 2008 3:52PM]

so...is it better (not cheaper) than the D80??

[neofolklore @ Jul 31st 2008 8:23AM]

this will have a problem blending.

[vasilis @ Jul 30th 2008 4:06PM]

Given that the D80 is almost 3 years old it being better wouldn't be very surprising. Of course it still has a smaller sensor so maybe the Nikon is still better in controlling noise in higher ISOs. If it has the same sensor as the E-420 then noise will be an issue for this camera already from ISO 400. In the D80 ISO is a problem at 1600. Even on my humble D40 I can shoot with near impunity at 800 - 1600.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Jul 31st 2008 8:21AM]

e-520 has same sensor as e-3

[John @ Jul 30th 2008 4:14PM]

I bought this camera a week ago and I'd agree that it's a very good camera. Besides what was mentioned, the only other problem I have is the range of highlight and shadows. I have to set almost everything to a -1.0 exposure or else the highlights look blown out.

Still, a fantastic camera, especially for the price.

[Razor @ Jul 30th 2008 4:47PM]

Some of the Olympus cameras have a surprisingly narrow level of dynamic range. The again, I own a Fuji S3 Pro and a Fuji S5 Pro, so every other camera has a narrow dynamic range to me ;)

Hopefully sensors on Olympus' next iteration of cameras will improve in this area.

[quomen @ Jul 30th 2008 4:51PM]

I'd still never buy an Olympus. I love the flexibility and lens choices that Canon and Nikon offer.

[Uh? @ Jul 30th 2008 5:48PM]

I agree, plus I just never like the feel of Olympus cameras - they always feel very plasticy and fragile.

[mrpoo @ Jul 30th 2008 9:07PM]

Holy crap. Seriously? Olympus makes the most solid feeling entry-level dSLRs out there. Canikon lenses feel like they are made of gum and papier-mâché. What is your basis of comparison?

[neofolklore @ Jul 31st 2008 8:24AM]

Canikon? only the japanese abbreviate things like that.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Jul 31st 2008 8:27AM]

> I love the flexibility and lens choices that Canon and Nikon offer.

You are troll: no Canon/Nikon owner would ever mention their beloved company name in same sentence with main competitor.

Another point. "Flexibility" and "choices," when applied to Canon is something really ambiguous: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EF_lens_mount#Third-party_lenses - Canon doesn't publish standards for its lens mounts. Nikon does. Oly does. That really offers flexibility and choice. But not Canon.

Oly might have less lens (4/3s is young system) yet they have most (if not all) lenses one might ever need. Having some junks lenses (both Canon and Nikon have accumulated over time) doesn't really add much to choices.

[kam @ Jul 30th 2008 5:18PM]

had the e-510 for about 3 weeks. this baby came out and J&R had their price super low (about $550 matching buy/amazon/the rest), so i exchanged it for this. ended up saving $70 by getting the new one. it was a price mistake but its been corrected.

saying all of that, i would have paid a premium for this camera. the .5 second fps does not sound like a big deal, but when rattling off shots of my kid rounding 3rd, every pic counts.

the live view face detection is great when i give a novice the camera to take my picture. all in all, a steal, even at current prices. but beware.. you'll pay through the nose to get more 4:3 lenses.

[Tyler Willis @ Jul 30th 2008 6:05PM]

Live view is probably a compelling option for beginners trading up from a digi-cam. I guess it depends on what you want to do from there. Cannon & Nikon are going to have a far larger selection of lenses. The Nikon Flash system is also very nice & allows you to do things you can't do with off brand flashes (I'm sure Cannon's is equally nice, but I don't know anything about it). I guess it depends on how far you want to take a hobby.

If your in it for the long haul better to stick with a name brand you know will be making good lenses today that will be compatible with tomorrow's bodies. You'll save a lot more money in the long haul (or spend more... depending on your perspective :) )

[chadow @ Jul 30th 2008 7:19PM]

Not sure how great of advice that is. Although some of my old Canon lenses could physically attach to a new Canon body, not one of them would be worth attaching (I have Canon bodies and glass going all the way back to 1972 equipment).

Olympus has some VERY high quality glass these days, and the bodies are also very good. Aside from serious professionals, they should not be excluded from a buyers choice just because they dont have Canon or Nikon printed on them.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Jul 31st 2008 8:31AM]

"Live view is probably a compelling option for beginners trading up from a digi-cam."

Actually, what I like is not "Live View" but "Live Preview": shot is made but it only goes to LCD, no file created. Works pretty good and thanks to excellent quality of LCD helps with previewing colors and exposure.

P.S. Had to upgrade my home display to match quality of e-520 LCD...

[Tony @ Jul 30th 2008 11:36PM]

Chadow- Why wouldnt you attach old lenses to a new canon body? I have a Sony DSLR and some of the best lenses are the old minolta ones. I'm not looking at olympus though. no cheap lenses

[Boynamedsue @ Jul 30th 2008 8:51PM]

The canon 1000d comes out stateside in august or september. That's what i'm pretty set on getting. 700 dollars with a lens is a pretty good deal considering the reviews its getting.

[lettcco @ Jul 31st 2008 3:47AM]

I got it on ebay (the japanese equiplvant) for $450 after the live cashback and 10% paypal coupon. booya!

[mrpoo @ Jul 30th 2008 9:12PM]

To all the comments on the large number of Canon and Nikon lenses out there... how many lenses do you seriously plan on buying? You realize many of those lenses are $2,000 and up? Olympus has a few lenses north of $2,000 as well, and if I picked up every one of the Olympus lenses designed specifically for the E-series dSLRs I would be out about something like $30,000. All mid- and pro-level Olympus lenses get very good reviews. Are you seriously going to recommend to a friend that they should buy a Canon or Nikon dSLR because they are going to be disappointed at the selection remaining from Olympus once they burn through their $30,000 lens budget? Once somebody makes a strong case for why I need more than 20 high-grade lenses, then I will take complaints about Olympus' "limited" lens selection seriously.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Jul 31st 2008 8:13AM]

> Olympus' "limited" lens selection

Needless to add that it had passed about half of year (or more) since 12-60 was released. And that lens, as Oly press release had put it, covered last gap in lens range of 4/3.

But even if 4/3 are not enough - you can always get an adapter ring for another lens format.

As to me - http://www.four-thirds.org/en/products/lense.html - that looks like good coverage. And since there are many producers.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Jul 31st 2008 8:06AM]

As total newbie, I'd say biggest advantage of the Olys - 4x0 & 5x0 - is FourThirds lens mount.

Pros will not like it, but to me beginner is it very big advantage of the camera: it is easy to buy lenses. I was best described frustrated with all the lengthy compatibility talks my friends - Canon and Nikon users - were giving. FourThirds is new and is pretty simple as consumers are concerned.

As picture quality goes, I was comparing it with Canon 400D & 350D. 400D lost due to bad lens. 350D had a good lens and quality on average was slightly better than my Oly E-520 with kit zoom lens.

What I didn't like, that in auto mode it has not that stellar performance - degrading in poor light to point-and-shoot quality. You have to learn quite soon to use P/A/S modes.

I liked documentations which (for newbies like me) includes several pages on how to shoot objects beginners like to shoot in the beginning. That was smart move on Oly's side. Though as true beginner it was only two weeks later that I have found the pages. ;)

[avester @ Jul 31st 2008 8:27AM]

I've had this camera for over an month...

[mrpoo @ Jul 31st 2008 9:35AM]

You should start up a camera blog. That was an awesome comment.

[Rob Walley @ Jul 31st 2008 10:34AM]

Owned this camera for a month and very pleased and surprised. The body is solid and comfortable. Will be buying better lenses but the kit lenses are better than the competitions starters, so you really are shooting out of the box. I agree that Olympus is targeting first time D-SLR buyers that are moving up from point and shoots, but experienced users should give this camera a serious look-see. While I'm sure that Live View has it's uses (beyond it's obvious appeal to those who have only used point and shoots) I have found that turning it off and using the viewfinder makes for the best shooting experience and camera performance. This camera has moved from a utility shooter in my current setup to the camera I go the most much to my surprise. Highly and enthusiastically recommended.

[Rboyett @ Jul 31st 2008 11:11AM]

For the most part, you're right. The viewfinder does give you the best experience.

However Live View is incredibly useful if you are holding the camera very low to the ground, over your head, or any way that doesn't allow you to put your eye up to the viewfinder.