Sigma fp L vs Olympus E-520

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sigma fp L and the Olympus E-520, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Sigma fp L was introduced in March 2021 and Olympus E-520 was introduced in August 2008. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sigma fp L over Olympus E-520.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus E-520 over Sigma fp L.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Sigma fp L has a 3.15" screen with 2,100k dot resolution and Olympus E-520 has a 2.7" screen with 230k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens. Sigma fp L also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Olympus E-520 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. It has a 95% coverage and 0.92x (0.46x 35mm equivalent) magnification.Sigma fp L does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached.

Sigma fp L features a 61 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 864 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600 and expands to 6 - 102,400 in boosted mode. Olympus E-520 features a 10.0 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 1,600.

Sigma fp L has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Sigma fp L can take pictures up to 9520 x 6328 resolution. Olympus E-520 can take pictures up to 3648 x 2736 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3200 x 2400, 2560 x 1920, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 with 4:3 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Sigma fp L has Leica L lens mount and Olympus E-520 has Four Thirds lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Sigma fp L its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Olympus E-520 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Olympus E-520

Olympus E-520 has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Sigma fp L

Sigma fp L has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sigma fp L comes with BP-51 battery pack with battery life of 240 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sigma fp L has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slot. Olympus E-520 has a single Compact Flash (Type I/II), xD Picture Card card slot.

Shutter

Sigma fp L has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Sigma fp L, and up to 1/4000 sec on Olympus E-520. Sigma fp L can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps. Olympus E-520 can shoot continuously up to 3.5 fps.

Focusing

Sigma fp L has 49 focusing points and Olympus E-520 has 3 focusing points. Sigma fp L has detection range from -5 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Sigma fp L ranges from -5 to +18 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sigma fp L and and manual exposure adjustment on Olympus E-520.

Flash

Olympus E-520 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Sigma fp L has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/15 sec on Sigma fp L and 1/180 sec on Olympus E-520.

Sigma fp L body has dimensions of 113 x 70 x 45 mm (4.45 x 2.76 x 1.77") and Olympus E-520 body has dimensions of 136 x 92 x 68 mm (5.35 x 3.62 x 2.68"). Sigma fp L weighs 427 g (0.94 lb / 15.06 oz) and Olympus E-520 weighs 552 g (1.22 lb / 19.47 oz).

Sigma fp L

Olympus E-520

113 mm

70 mm

136 mm

92 mm

70 mm

92 mm

45 mm

68 mm