After having received a new E520 from my Olympus dealer of choice(congratulations to the team at Foto Sobotka for their professional handling of the issue), it’s time to redo the sample images posted here a few days ago. As always, click on a small image to get the unmodified one!
All of these images have been made with the out-of-the-box defaults. The external FL36R flash has been disabled in all shots(except the flash ones); image stabilization was enabled on the non-tripod shots.
EZ 1442 – tripod shots
The EZ1442 kit lens is a F3.5 lens that has a focal range of 14-42mm. Here are five small sample shots ranging from ISO 100 to ISO 1600(on the right). Click on the shots to see the full JPEG as it was produced by the E520:
| ISO Level | Sample image |
|---|---|
| ISO 100 |  |
| ISO 200 |  |
| ISO 400 |  |
| ISO 800 |  |
| ISO 1600 |  |
Here is the same sequence made at full zoom:
| ISO Level | Sample image |
|---|---|
| ISO 100 |  |
| ISO 200 |  |
| ISO 400 |  |
| ISO 800 |  |
| ISO 1600 |  |
EZ 4015-2 – tripod shots
The second kit lens is a mediocre-ranged zoom: its focal length is from 40mm to 150mm(multiply x2 because of the FourThirds sensor). I tortured it with a few day time shots which turned out great. Look at the magnification of the click below to see how raising ISO levels turn out – ISO1600 images look a bit noisy and loose a bit of details, but remain perfectly usable:
| ISO Level | Sample image |
|---|---|
| ISO 100 |  |
| ISO 200 |  |
| ISO 400 |  |
| ISO 800 |  |
| ISO 1600 |  |
Zoomed in images turn out a little soft, but can easily be fixed with the Unsharp Mask filter found in GIMP:
| ISO Level | Sample image |
|---|---|
| ISO 100 |  |
| ISO 200 |  |
| ISO 400 |  |
| ISO 800 |  |
| ISO 1600 |  |
Handheld night shots – shutter time less than 1sec
A few commenters wanted me to test the IS functionality of the E520. The sample images below have been made at night with shutter times greater than 1/2secs, and turned out surprisingly sharp. They definitely won’t make a 2m poster print – but the local rag I sometimes write for would definitely be able to use them:
ISO 1600 torture image
No TamsPalm review would be complete without a torture test. The Olympus E520 was tortured by having to capture a single frame of a video screened at a recent MetaLab presentation. The sample image below shows the result: running Noise Ninja over it yields a perfectly usable picture.
FL36R – leisure shot
Finally, a leisure shot courtesy of my FL36(r) flash. The guy pictured is a really cool staff member of the UEFA Euro Fan Zone in Vienna; he celebrates having found an abandoned hoodie bearing the Spanish flag:
Conclusion
Cutting a long story short: the Olympus E520 delivers good (albeit slightly “unsharp”) JPG images at its factory settings. Tweaking the parameters around a bit would probably lead to even better photos: however, this is IMHO better achieved by shooting in RAW and processing the files on the desktop.
The bundle I currently use has cost less than 1000€(including the FL36(R) flash that doubles as an autofocus light source). I am very happy with the camera – stay tuned for an unboxing video, a somewhat detailed review and real-world usage experiences…
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That what we have been waiting for all along, An Austrian reviewing a Camera – a schnitzel restaurant would be much more appropriate.
Even your tripod images are blurred man. I bet you used a cheep point & shoot camera mistaking it for the new Olympus. Go find yourself something useful to do.
Like spamming comment threads… :-B
@Tam: Is this your bathroom? And your make-up creme?
What’s the matter with all of you people? I am happy to know that this guy’s first camera had been defective and that the replacement camera works as expected. Being an owner of a 510 I find this review a bit disappointing, though, as it doesn’t say anything about what improvements the 520 brings over the 510.
I have been few times to Vienna and it is the most boring place I’ve ever been to considering the huge number of places I visited worldwide. Do you know what you need to make it more live and fun? – people.
Hi,
On an unrelated note,
moretags are your friend, TamAsmarlak: That’s the spirit! Your opinion is very important to the TamsPalm team! Glad to hear you talk back a bit!
~Ryan
Spirit?, are you kidding?. Do you know how many people out there can read your crab and beleive it?. From what I read, you are not in a position to do such review.
I personally think those photos look pretty good. I’m currently on the lookout for a DSLR camera and have been looking at both Olympus and Nikon models. However I think that I need to buy a Nikon because I already own some Sigma lenses that fit the Nikon. Not sure if they’ll fit the Olympus though.
Thanx for the nice review. I´m a bit astonished about the strange comments here, as Ithink this has been done nicely. Difficult to agree on the issue of sharpness, as at least the large pics do look pretty good for me. But I own only an older Olympus Camedia 320 and indeed my newer (and much cheaper) Samsung has better pics…
I found it interesting to see the various ISO settings in comparison.
Hello,
thank you all for your comments!
All the best
Tam Hanna
This review’s better – but I don’t see evidence that the zoom is “mediocre” from these shots: ISO 1600 is pants, but that’s the sensor, not the zoom. At both ends of the ranges, the images appear very clear as far as the lens is concerned.
What you should be doing is testing the lens at different apertures, and trying to see how much lens flare you can create, and trying to maximise the evidence of any colour fringing: the shots you have taken do not show this. They are not testing the lens, but the sensor.
Your “mediocre” comment is therefore invalid !
5/10 this time
Hi DJK,
I am very sorry for all the confusion caused by the word mediocre.
All I wanted to express was that the zoom range is mediocre…not the image quality.
All the best
Tam Hanna
I just bought an e520 and I am looking for a good blog to advance my understanding. I would be considered one of moderate knowledge.
I will say it came with one of the most useful manuals I have seen.
Hi Bill,
there always is the Four Thirds User Forum.
I am not sure if I will post much about photography to this blog, though – as it is more of a technology site…
All the best
Tam Hanna
Tam
thanks a lot, I’ll check 3/4ths forum out as I am a pretty “technical” person. The more I use my e520, the more I love it. Maybe an e520 blog will get started (if that makes sence).
Bill
I thought when first browsing the manual that when focusing manually, you could “electronically” enlarge view, but now I can’t find the reference.
Hi Bill,
see you at FTU!
As for Live View – I have sent you an email detailing the process!
All the best
Tam Hanna
Dear Tam
Don’t be disheartened. The owners of Oly cameras are only “hurt” that their “badged” camera have been reviewed, and the fact shows that something is wrong with the e520. Maybe it was a lemon unit, but if there is a fault, it shows up.
I have read reviews of another camera (although not a DSLR, but a higher end zoom point and shoot): the review stated it was fantastic! I bought it, and quickly sold it. Another review indicated how superior another high zoom camera was…I bought it, and quickly sold it!
If I have only read your review first…unfortunately, I bought the e520: there is something wrong with your camera. and mine too. This e520 I have had poor color. The first thing critics will say is that “DO you know how to handle a D-S-L-R???”, as though I am an idiot.
Of course I do..I used the e510 for over a year, and went through all the correction process, including firmware update.
Therefore, I commend you on this article, as you truly had a defective camera, where the settings were not set right. Hence, your results.
I am now going through the same process as my e510 to correct the e520 settings.
Do not be disheartened. Keep reviewing and keep writing.
Regards.
Hi xylec,
get it exchanged ASAP!
My new E520 works a-ok; as for the colors: its an Olympus thing. But setting the box to Neutral colors and/or shooting in RAW usually helps!
All the best
Tam Hanna
P.S. Firmware updates should be upcoming!
I think a Nikon is a better product when compared with Oly in any category, DSLR or Point and Shoot. Oly has tried to beat the price competition and has ended up with a not so good a product – especially when it mass produced these DSLRs. I tried my hand on a friend’s E520 and went for manual, aperture priority and shutter priority modes. the results were not all that great – a nikon D80 can beat it hands down. Even a Canon could be a better option – unless price is the major criterion.
Hi venkat,
I personally think that the 4:3 format has its advantages especially when it comes to printing the pictures and when it comes to compact zooms.
It all is a question of taste!
All the best
Tam Hanna