Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-520 Comparison

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Nikon D80

10 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CCD Sensor

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Olympus E-520

10 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-520 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two DSLR cameras from Nikon and Olympus. Nikon D80 was introduced to market in September 2006 and Olympus E-520 was launched in August 2008. There is 23 months difference between D80 and E-520 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger E-520, especially in sensor tech.

Both cameras have 10.0MP sensors but Nikon D80's sensor is APS-C sized whereas Olympus E-520 has a Four Thirds sensor.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D80 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2006-09-23

10MP - APS-C CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 1600 ( expands to 3200)

Nikon F Mount

2.5" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

668g. 132 x 103 x 77 mm

Replaced Nikon D70 Compare

Olympus E-520 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2008-08-20

10MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 1600

Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

2.7" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

4 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

552g. 136 x 92 x 68 mm

Replaced Olympus E-510 Compare

Nikon D80 was replaced by Nikon D90. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D90 vs Nikon D80
Nikon D90 vs Olympus E-520

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon D80 over Olympus E-520

Viewfinder Magnification	0.64x vs 0.46x	Larger Viewfinder
Flash Coverage	13.0m vs 12.0m	1m longer range
Color Depth	22.1 vs 21.4	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	11.2 vs 10.4	higher dynamic range
Sensor Pixel Area	37.14µm² vs 22.54µm²	64% larger pixel area
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Optical Viewfinder Type	Pentaprism vs Pentamirror	Pentaprism Viewfinders are brighter than Pentamirror type

Reasons to choose Olympus E-520 over Nikon D80

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Size	2.7" vs 2.5"	0.2 inches larger display
Continuous Shooting	4.0fps vs 3.0fps	1 fps faster
Weight	552 g vs 668 g	116 g lighter
Low Light ISO	548 vs 524	better High ISO performance

Common Strengths of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality

Common Weaknesses of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
Max Resolution	10 MP vs 10 MP	Less details and smaller prints
LCD Screen Size	2.5" vs 2.7"	Small display
LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 230k dots	Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions
AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune)	No vs No	no option to fine tune Auto focus

Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-520: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon D80 has external dimensions of 132 x 103 x 77 mm (5.2 x 4.06 x 3.03″) and weighs 668 g (1.47 lb / 23.56 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-520 has external dimensions of 136 x 92 x 68 mm (5.35 x 3.62 x 2.68″) and weighs 552 g (1.22 lb / 19.47 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520. Olympus E-520 is 11mm shorter and 9mm thinner than Nikon D80 but it is also 4mm wider.

Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus E-520 is significantly lighter (116g ) than the Nikon D80 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Nikon D80 has an APS-C sized sensor and Olympus E-520 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-520's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Nikon D80 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D80

E-520

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D80

E-520

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon D80 nor Olympus E-520 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus E-520's 2.7" LCD screen is slightly larger than Nikon D80's 2.5" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-520: Sensor Comparison

Both Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520 have 10.0 MP resolution sensors but Nikon D80's sensor is APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) and Olympus E-520's sensor is Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ).

Since Nikon D80's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Olympus E-520.

Below you can see the D80 and E-520 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520 Cameras

As seen above, Nikon D80 has a 1.7x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-520. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, D80 has scored 61, 6 points higher than E-520.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Nikon D80	61	22.1 bits	11.2 Evs	524 ISO
Olympus E-520	55	21.4 bits	10.4 Evs	548 ISO

Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-520 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Nikon D80 has an advantage over Olympus E-520. There are 309 lenses for Nikon D80's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 45 lenses for Olympus E-520's Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-520 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Nikon D80 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 106 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Nikon D80 Lenses	# of Olympus E-520 Lenses
Standard Zoom	33	8
Standard Prime	21	4
Wideangle Zoom	33	4
Wideangle Prime	48	9
Telephoto Zoom	53	6
Telephoto Prime	45	4
SuperZoom	30	2
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	8	3
Macro Prime	26	4
Perspective Control Prime	11	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	1
TOTAL	309	45

What types of Photography are Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon D80 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-520 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-520 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-520 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Good Battery Life: 650 shots
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.0fps
Environmental Sealings
3 Focus Points
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-520 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
668g
Body Thickness 77mm
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Large Body
552g
Body Thickness 68mm
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus E-520 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon D80 vs Olympus E-520: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon D80 and Olympus E-520 scores compare:

Nikon D80

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #71 out of 95 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #612 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Olympus E-520

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #55 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #417 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Olympus E-520 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D80. It also has more features, more compact body and offers higher value for the money. But there is one area that E-520 trails behind the D80: Imaging
If image quality is the most important aspect in a camera, choose the Nikon D80. If not, we recommend the Olympus E-520.

Olympus E-520 vs Nikon D80 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon D80	Olympus E-520
Brand	Nikon	Olympus
Announced	2006-09-23	2008-08-20
Body Type	Mid-size SLR	Compact SLR
Sensor
Type	CCD	CMOS
Size	APS-C	Four Thirds
Dimensions	23.6 x 15.8 mm	17.3 x 13 mm
Area	372.88mm²	224.90mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	10 megapixels
Max Resolution	3872 x 2592	3648 x 2736
Max Native Light sensitivity	1,600 ISO	1,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	3200 ISO	-
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	n/a	3
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Nikon F	Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses	309	45
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	2.5"	2.7"
Resolution	230k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentaprism)	Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage	95%	95%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.64x	0.46x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	13.00 m	12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync	1/200s	1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps	4.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	None	None
Video Formats	n/a	n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	668g	552g
Dimensions	132 x 103 x 77mm	136 x 92 x 68mm
Battery Life	n/a	650 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	61	55
DxO Color Depth	22.1	21.4
DxO Dynamic Range	11.2	10.4
DxO Low Light ISO	524	548
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