Digital SLR

Like the recently-released E-420, the new Olympus E-520 is an update of a previous model and doesn't introduce any radically new features or functions. The tenth Olympus DSLR and the third in the 500 series, it has the same 10-megapixel imager as the E-510 with a few tweaks to the stabilisation and autofocus systems to improve handling and performance. Like its predecessor, the E-520 is targeted at photo enthusiasts.

Essentially, the main difference between the E-510 and the E-520 is the updating of the image sensor (see below) and body-integrated image stabilisation system, which now offers three modes instead of just normal and panning. The third mode is designed for horizontal panning with the camera held vertically. Olympus claims four f-stops of shutter speed advantage for both cameras' systems.

In common with other Olympus DSLR cameras, the E-520 is equipped with the tried-and-proven Supersonic Wave Filter (SSWF) dust removal system. The mechanism controlling this system is also used to drive the body-integrated image stabilisation system that distinguishes the E-520 from the entry-level E-420 model.

 

Front, back and top views of the E-520.

Several improvements that were introduced with the E-420 have been included in the E-520. Among them are the "High Speed Imager AF" system for Live View autofocusing and the improvements to the automatic white balance system. Support for the Olympus RC wireless flash system, which uses the FL-50R and FL-36R flash units is also provided in the E-520.

Face Detection and Shadow Adjustment Technology have also been included in the E-520, along with the larger, 2.7-inch HyperCrystal II LCD.  Details of these features can be found in our review of the E-420 (INSERT LINK), which also carries information on the camera's Live View modes, wireless flash and bundled software.

Playback options are essentially the same throughout the E-series range and include the standard single and index displays, a calendar index, magnification up to 10x, 10-frame jump (backwards or forwards) and a 'light box' display that shows two images simultaneously on the LCD. Shooting information and a brightness histogram with shadow and highlight alerts can also be selected and images can be rotated.

In-camera editing functions include shadow adjustment, red-eye correction, saturation adjustment, B&W and sepia conversion and three pre-sets for re-saving images at sizes suitable for emailing. Raw files can also be converted into JPEG format and saved separately in the camera - although you can't adjust image parameters as part of the file conversion.

Otherwise there have been a few very minor cosmetic changes, the most significant being the re-design of the button controls to make them easier for colour-blind users to identify. The illustrations below show just how physically similar the E-510 is to the E-520 that replaces it.

Front, back and top views of the E-510 (left side) and E-520 models (right).

Sensor and Image Processing
Although its resolution is unchanged, Olympus claims to have improved the performance of the 10-megapixel sensor in the new camera. The new LiveMOS sensor, which is manufactured by Panasonic and essentially the same as in the E-420, promises a wider dynamic range, better white balance performance and greater colour accuracy than the sensor in the E-510. With a maximum image size of 3648 x 2736 pixels, each photosite measures approximately 4.7 microns square.

The TruePic III image processor was developed for the top-of-the-range E-3 model, takes advantage of the latest chip processing technology to reduce power consumption and includes noise filtration algorithms and edge detection and smoothing along with improves colour processing algorithms. The E-520 supports a faster sequential shooting speed than its predecessor of 3.5 frames/second instead of 3 frames/second.

The buffer has a limit of eight ORF.RAW frames but only slowed after a burst of 16 JPEGs in our tests. Raw files are losslessly compressed. Typical file sizes are the same as the files produced by all of Olympus's DSLR models, as shown in the table below. 

Kit Lenses
The E-520 was supplied to us as a twin lens kit with the Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 ED and 40-150mm 1:4-5.6 ED lenses. Both are compact, lightweight models with plastic lens mounts. Unlike the kit lenses supplied by some other manufacturers, the Olympus lenses are supplied with lens hoods. And thanks to the Four Thirds System, both lenses are noticeably lighter than all but one of their equivalents from rival manufacturers.

To illustrate this point the table below compares the physical dimensions of the kit lenses from other manufacturers. (Pentax has not been included because the local distributor, which also distributes Sigma lenses, offers both smc Pentax and Sigma lenses in its twin lens kits and the choices are much wider.)

The 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 standard zoom lens contains 10 elements in 8 groups and includes one ED glass element and two aspherical elements. It covers focal lengths equivalent to 28-84mm in 35mm format and will focus down to 25 cm from a subject. Seven iris blades produce a circular aperture diaphragm to ensure attractive rendition of out-of-focus areas in shots. Moving from the 14mm to the 42mm focal length involves just under a fifth of a turn and extends the lens barrel by about 3 cm.

The 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 telephoto zoom lens covers a focal length range equivalent to 80-300mm in 35mm format. Consisting of 12 elements in 9 groups, it includes an ED glass element and will focus down to 90 cm from the subject. Focusing is internal, allowing the use of angle-critical filters. Moving from the 40mm to the 150mm focal length involves approximately a quarter of a turn and extends the lens barrel by about 6 cm.

The Olympus kit lenses are solidly constructed and have broad, textured zoom rings plus narrower focusing rings. The 14-42mm has a 'petal-shaped' hood, while the hood for the  40-150mm lens is cylindrical. Both hoods reverse onto the lens barrels for storage. Both lenses carry the Olympus trademark: a narrow, bright blue line towards the front of the lens barrel.

Focal length markings are engraved on each lens barrel and are clearly visible. Neither lens has distance marks or a focus distance window and image stabilisation is not included as it is provided in the camera body. No manual focus switch is provided; instead setting the AF mode in the camera to S-AF+MF or MF allows the focus ring to be turned. Rotation is unrestricted. 

Performance
As well as using the kit lenses for our tests, Olympus also gave us the opportunity to use the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Super Telephoto zoom lens (which is being offered by some retailers instead of the 40-150mm lens) to test the performance of the body-integrated image stabilisation system in the E-520 camera. Some sample shots are shown below. With each of the lenses we used, we estimate the built-in stabilisation system provided approximately three stops of shutter speed advantage over the E-420 (which lacks stabilisation).

Picture taken with the test camera were similar to those from the E-420, which isn't surprising as both cameras have the same sensor and image processing system. Test shots in outdoor lighting were bright and colourful although some highlight details were lost in very contrasty situations. Shadows tended to block up when the subject's dynamic range was wider than the sensor could handle.

Exposure metering was accurate provided light levels were reasonably high. However, long exposures at night were consistently slightly under-exposed, as were flash shots in low light levels. Autofocusing was also reasonably fast and accurate under most shooting conditions, although we had a couple of 'near misses' when using the 70-300mm lens at full extension to shoot fast-moving subjects. Hunting was negligible in low-light conditions.

The slight warm bias we observed in our test shots with the E-420 was also present in shots taken with the E-520 and Imatest revealed increased saturation in the red colour band. Interestingly, saturation was only marginally below the normal 100% level in our Imatest tests, which also revealed minor shifts in the purple/blue and cyan/green hues. Skin hues were very close to the mark and overall colour accuracy was above average, with a mean colour error of 7.17.

Imatest showed the resolution of the test camera to be higher than that of the E-420 we reviewed and figures from the centre of the image field were in line with our expectations for a 10-megapixel camera. However, both lenses suffered from edge softening. With the 14-42mm lens this was most noticeable at wide lens apertures and with shorter focal length settings. With the 40-150mm lens it was general across the focal length and aperture range.

Interestingly, results from Imatest analysis on ORF.RAW files converted into TIFF format with Olympus Master 2 software showed them to be only slightly superior to the high-resolution JPEGs we tested. Imatest also showed a gradual decline in resolution as ISO sensitivity was increased. Interestingly, raw files maintained their higher resolution right up to ISO 1600 in our Imatest assessments. The results are shown in the graph below.

Our Imatest tests on the kit lenses showed the 14-42mm lens to be a significantly better performer than the 40-150mm lens. The graphs below show the results of our Imatest tests on JPEG files shot with the camera.

 
Imatest resolution results for the 14-42mm kit lens.

 
Imatest resolution results for the 40-150mm kit lens.

Lateral chromatic aberration ranged from low to moderate in both lenses, although it was worse with the 40-150mm lens than the 14-42mm lens. The graphs below show the results of our Imatest tests. Note: the red line marks the boundary between negligible and low CA, while the green line shows the boundary between low and moderate. Severe CA is indicated by the pink line.

 
Lateral chromatic aberration with the 14-42mm kit lens.

 
Lateral chromatic aberration with the 40-150mm kit lens.

Coloured fringing was observed when outdoor shots taken with both lenses were enlarged to 100%. Examples from both lenses are reproduced below.

 
14-42mm lens.

 
40-150mm lens.

White balance performance was similar to the E-420 - and significantly better for incandescent lighting than the E-510. Although the orange cast was not totally eliminated, it was reduced to a point where it could be corrected with editing software. A neutral colour balance was obtained with fluorescent lighting but the pre-set fluorescent mode added a slight green cast. Manual measurement produced close to true neutrality.

Flare and ghosting were negligible with both lenses and only observed when the lens was pointed directly towards the sun or a bright light source.

The test camera took just under two seconds to power up and we measured an average capture lag of 0.18 seconds, which was totally eliminated by pre-focusing. Shot-to-shot times for both JPEG and raw files averaged 0.6 seconds without flash and 0.9 seconds with flash. Both JPEG and raw files took 1.5 seconds to process, on average.

In the continuous shooting mode we recorded a burst of 11 high-resolution JPEGs before the camera showed signs of slowing. It took 2.2 seconds to process this burst. Swapping to raw file capture we were able to record eight files at three frames/second before the burst rate slowed. It took 5.3 seconds to process this burst and 8.2 seconds to process a burst of six RAW+JPEG files, captured at the same frame rate. 

IMATEST GRAPHS

SAMPLE IMAGES

 
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.

 
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.

 
Flare

 
30-second exposure at ISO 100.

 
10-second exposure at ISO 1600.

76mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/200 second at f/4.5.

 
114mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/800 second at f/5.6.

300mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/640 second at f/6.3.

158mm focal length, ISO 800, 1/13 second at f/6.3.

 
Panning: 73mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/50 second at f/18

Image sensor: 17.3 x 13.0 mm Live MOS sensor with approx. 10.9 million photosites (10-megapixels effective)
Lens mount: FourThirds System mount
Focal length crop factor: 2x
Image formats: JPEG, ORF.RAW; RAW+JPEG capture supported
Image Sizes: 3648 x 2736, 3200 x 2400, 2560 x 1920, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768. 640 x 480
Image Stabilisation: Built in (imager shift image stabiliser) with 3 modes. IS1 - 2 dimensional stabilisation. IS2 - 1 dimensional stabilisation in vertical direction for horizontal panning with camera held horizontally. IS3 - 1 dimensional stabilisation in vertical direction for horizontal panning with camera held vertically.
Dust removal: SuperSonic Wave Filter (SSWF)
Shutter speed range: 60 to 1/4000 sec. (Bulb: up to 30 min. with limiter); X-synch ay 1/180 sec.
Exposure Compensation: ±5 EV selectable in 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps
Self-timer: Operation time: 12 sec., 2 sec. (cancel available)
Focus system: Hybrid, contrast-detection plus phase detection system with 3-point multiple AF, AF lock and focus tracking (interlocked with Continuous AF mode)
Focus modes: Single AF (S-AF), Continuous AF (C-AF), Manual Focus (MF), S-AF + MF, C-AF + MF
Exposure metering: TTL open aperture light metering with 49-zones multi-pattern sensing system; multi-pattern, centre-weighted average and spot metering (approx 2% of screen; spot with highlight/shadow control
Shooting modes: Auto, Program (with shift) Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Scene Program AE (5 modes), Scene Select AE (20 modes)
Picture Style/Control settings: Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait, Monotone (default setting Natural), Custom (one setting from basic 5 settings is available)
Colour space options: sRGB, Adobe RGB
Custom functions: Four customisable My Mode settings
ISO range: Auto, ISO 100 to 1600 in 1 EV steps
White balance: Auto; 8 settings (3000K - 7500K), Lamp (3000K), Fluorescent 1 (4000K), Fluorescent 2 (4500K), Fluorescent 3 (6600K), Daylight (5300K), Flash (5500K), Cloudy (6000K), Shade (7500K) Kelvin temperature (2000K - 14000K), Custom
Flash: Retractable pop up flash; GN 12 (ISO 100 m)
Flash exposure adjustment: Up to ±3 EV in 1/3, 1/2, or 1EV steps selectable plus bracketing of 3 frames in 0.3, 0.7, 1 EV steps
Sequence shooting: Max 3.5 frames/sec for up to 8 RAW frames (JPEG mode depends on compression ratio and image size)
Storage Media: CompactFlash card (Type I and II), Microdrive, xD picture card. (Dual slot).
Viewfinder:  Eye-level TTL Optical; approx 95% field of view; 0.92x magnification (-1m^-1, 50mm lens, infinity); approx. 14mm eyepoint; diopter adjustment -3.0 to +1, fixed Neo Lumi-Micro Mat focusing screen
LCD monitor: 2.7 inch HyperCrystal II LCD (enhanced type) with approx. 230,000 pixels
Live View modes: 100% field of view; previews for exposure, white balance, grid line overlay, 7x/10x magnification, MF/S-AF, AF frame display, AF point display, shooting data, histogram
Data LCD: no
Playback functions: Single-frame, Index (4/9/16/25/49/100 frames), Calendar, Close-up ( 2 - 14X), Slideshow, Picture rotation (auto mode available), Light box; Histogram (independent luminance/RGB available), Highlight/Shadow point warning, AF frame, Shooting information
Interface terminals: USB 2.0 High Speed for storage and camera control; PAL or NTSC video out
Power supply: BLM-1 Lithium-ion battery; CIPA rating: approx. 650 shots using optical viewfinder only (with 50% flash shots)
Dimensions (wxhxd): 136 x 91.5 x 68 mm (body only)
Weight: 475 grams (body only)