Olympus E-PM2 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Olympus E-520 has a
10.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Olympus E-PM2's sensor provides 6MP more than Olympus E-520's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the E-PM2 and E-520 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus E-PM2 and Olympus E-520 Cameras
Olympus E-PM2 and Olympus E-520 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Olympus E-520 has 59% larger pixel area (22.54µm 2 vs 14.12µm 2 ) compared to Olympus E-PM2, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Olympus E-PM2 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, E-PM2 has scored 72, 17 points higher than E-520.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Olympus E-PM2
72
22.7 bits
12.2 Evs
932 ISO
Olympus E-520
55
21.4 bits
10.4 Evs
548 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Olympus E-PM2
or the
Olympus E-520 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
