Olympus Unveils E-520

May 13, 2008: Just 12 months after launching its E-510 DSLR, Olympus has released details of a replacement model, the E-520.
Like its predecessor, the E-520 has built-in image stabilisation, which has been improved to provide up to four f-stops of shooting advantage and covers all lenses. It sports the same 10-megapixel Live MOS sensor as the E-420 model and many of the same functions, including the same High-Speed Imager AF system. However the E-520’s Live View system has been enhanced with Face Detection autofocusing, which is only supported in Live View mode.

The new E-520 shown with four recently-released Olympus Four Thirds System lenses.
The Face Detection system can identify up to eight human faces in a scene and will optimise focus, exposure, flash output and white balance to produce good results. Red-eye correction can also be engaged. The system can also identify faces in profile and those that are upside down. Live View Perfect Shot Preview lets photographers preview adjustments to exposure, white balance and dynamic range before taking a shot.

Front view of the E-520 body showing the mirror box.
The E-520 also has a larger, 2.7-inch HyperCrystal II LCD monitor with a wider colour and brightness range. A new TruePic III image processor supports faster AF speeds, enhanced multi-pattern metering performance and a new auto white balance algorithm that delivers greatly improved colour fidelity under incandescent lighting. A feature carried over from the E-420 model is Shadow Adjust technology, which automatically expands the dynamic range in shots taken in contrasty lighting.

Rear view showing the larger LCD monitor and colour-coded control buttons.
Traditional Olympus features like SSWF dust minimisation are also provided, along with continuous shooting speeds of 3.5 frames/second. The new model also offers wireless flash support, providing an affordable way to shoot studio portraits at home. Other shared functions include highlight and shadow spot metering, plus a Super Control Panel display and coloured labels on control buttons that can be discerned by people with colour blindness.

Top view showing the mode dial, hot shoe and control buttons.
The E-520 provides five exposure modes, seven creative modes and 20 illustrated scene pre-sets, giving users wide flexibility for shooting. The ergonomic hand grip from the E-510 is carried over to the new model. Supporting accessories will include the PT-E05 underwater housing and UFL-2 underwater flash, along with the complete system of Olympus Zuiko Digital lenses. The E-520 is due for local release in June. Pricing has yet to be announced.

Side views of the E-520.
For more information, visit www.olympus.com.au.

Image sensor: 17.3 x 13.0 mm Live MOS sensor with approx. 11.8 million photosites (10 megapixels effective)
Lens mount: FourThirds mount
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Image formats: RAW (12-bit), JPEG (4 compression ratios), RAW+JPEG
Image Sizes: 3648×2736, 3200×2400, 2560×1920, 1600×1200, 1280×960, 1024×768, 640×480
Image Stabilisation: Body-integrated CCD-shift type
Dust removal: SuperSonic Wave Filter
Shutter speed range: Auto mode: 2 – 1/4000 sec. (depends on settings), P(Ps), S, A, M modes: 60 – 1/4000 sec. (Bulb: up to 30 min. with limiter), Scene programme/Scene select mode: 4 – 1/4000 sec. (depends on settings). Shutter speed adjustable in 1/3 EV steps
Exposure Compensation: +/- 5 EV in increments of 1/3EV
Self-timer: 12 or 2 sec. delay
Focus system: High speed imager AF, Phase-difference detection AF
Focus modes: Single-shot AF, continuous AF, manual focusing; (C-AF mode is not available with the contrast detection Imager AF in LiveView mode)
Exposure metering: TTL open aperture light metering with 49-zone multi-pattern sensing system; Digital ESP (multi-segment), Centre-weighted, Spot metering (approx. 2%), Spot with highlight/shadow bias
Shooting modes: Auto, Program AE (with program shift), Shutter-priority auto, Aperture-priority auto, Manual; 20 Scene Program/Selection modes, 4 monotone filter effects, 4 Picture Tones
Picture Style/Control settings: Vivid, Natural, Muted, Monotone (default setting: Natural)
Colour space options: sRGB, Adobe RGB
ISO range: ISO 100-1600 (adjustable in 1 EV steps)
White balance: Auto, daylight, shade, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, flash; colour temperature setting; bracketing in increments of 3 frames
Flash: Built-in flash GN 12 (ISO 100 in metres); wireless flash supported
Flash exposure adjustment: +/- 2 EV in 0.3, 0.5 or 1 EV increments
Sequence shooting: Max. 3.5 fps
Storage Media: CF Type I, II or Microdrive and xD-Picture Card, dual slots
Viewfinder: Eye-level TTL optical; 95% coverage; approx. 0.92x magnification; 14 mm eyepoint; dioptric adjustment -3.0 to +1 dpt
LCD monitor: 2.7-inch HyperCrystal II LCD, 230,000 pixels
Live viewing: Yes. 100% FOV; previews for exposure, white balance, grid line overlay, 7x/10x magnification, MF/S-AF, AF frame display, AF point display, shooting data, histogram, Face Detection AF and Shadow Adjust support
Interface terminals: USB 2.0 Hi-speed, Video Out (PAL/NTSC)
Power supply: BLS-1 Li-ion battery (included)
Dimensions (wxhxd): 136 x 91.5 x 68 mm (body only)
Weight: 470 grams (body only)