D-520 Zoom is simply a digital camera that's remarkably sophisticated. The compact, stylish D-520 Zoom features an impressive 2.0 megapixel CCD. A high-quality 3x optical zoom with 2.5x digital zoom for a seamless 7.5x zoom. And Auto-Connect USB software-free downloading. It's an easy, effortless camera for sophisticated, beautiful photos. And the most realistic digital images yet. Even shooting a short movie is simple with QuickTime mode. And with USB Auto-Connect, the D-520 will be automatically recognized by almost any USB-equipped computer so downloading files from the camera is virtually effortless. With a Clear, Powerful Zoom Lens, the versatile Olympus 3x optical zoom with 2.5x digital zoom for a seamless 7.5x zoom lets you fill your pictures with more of what you're shooting for. And aspherical glass elements ensure sharp detail from edge to edge. Feature-Packed with auto and preset white balance, multi-mode flash, spot metering, sequence shooting and more, you'll never have to take the same picture twice. When a single shot won't tell the whole story, shoot up to a 60-second QuickTime movie. Video Connection With a video output, you can show your latest and greatest photos on almost any television.

2-megapixel sensor captures 1,600 x 1,200 images for prints at sizes up to 8 x 10 inches

3x optical plus 2.5x digital (7.5x total) autofocus zoom lens

Included 16 MB Smartmedia card stores 16 images at default resolution

Automatically connects with Macs and PCs via USB port

Uses CR-V3 lithium battery or 2 AA batteries (alkalines included)

Average Customer Review: ( 81 customer reviews )
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I'm planning some extended travels, and though I'll be using my film cameras for the majority of my photography, I also wanted to bring an inexpensive digital camera to email a few snapshots back home. I previously had used several other Olympus digital cameras, including the D-380, and had been pleased with all of them, so when I found a D-520 at a reasonable price I jumped on it.

And after a few weeks of general use, I'm happy with the performance of the D-520. Colors are rendered with good saturation and accuracy, especially in sunlight, and the images are sharper and clearer than I expected for a digital camera at this price, particularly at the higher resolutions. The various controls are fairly intuitive once you get used to them, and while I wish there were a few more manual options, there's a good set of control choices for an entry-level camera. Plus it's small - even smaller than the D-380, which doesn't have a zoom lens. It fits easily into my pants pocket or shirt pocket, which is great for travelling.

The downsides, though there are a few, are mostly minor. The flash pops out and sits there in a bit of an awkward spot, and there's no way to put it back in its slot while the camera's on, even if you've turned the flash off. Frankly, I can't see any good reason why they didn't just leave it embedded in the camera body like they did on most of this camera's cousins. The rubber flap over the USB and video ports seems a bit fiddly and prone to breaking off, but that's not a big deal to me. And the flash sometimes takes a while to charge up again after a photo, but since it runs off just 2 AA batteries I guess that was the trade-off Olympus made for smaller size and weight.

It's not a perfect camera, but it's probably one of the better options available in this price range. The Olympus D-520 is a good camera for a beginner, or for someone who won't miss having full manual controls and other creative options in their camera. Its 2-megapixel resolution is well more than adequate for email and the web (which is how I plan to use it) or for 4x6-size snapshots. Those who demand more control and more options, or who plan to print out 5x7, 8x10, or larger enlargements might want to seek out a model with higher resolution.

If you do get this camera, drop the extra $50 or so and spring for an accessory 128mb smartmedia card. The included 16mb card is too small for anything but short photo excursions, while the 128mb card will give you all the space you'll ever need - on the D-520 it holds well over 250 pictures, even at high resolution. You could save a few bucks and get a 64mb card instead, but in my opinion the extra cost is more than worth it to get twice as much storage space in return.

90 of 93 found the following review helpful:

Great camera, great buy!!May 08, 2002

I'd say I was pretty lucky to have found out about this Olympus D-520, which replaces the popular D-510. For about the same price, you'll get more with D-520. It's smaller and lighter. It comes with 16 MB card (instead of 8 MB card that comes with D-510). And, it only uses 2 AA batteries instead of 4, so you don't have to charge them too often (assuming you're using rechargeable batteries, because it's a MUST for digital cameras). The pop-up flash design is a little bit better in D-520, however, I wish that it pops down everytime the lens barrier is closed. The LCD screen is reduced to 1.5", but it doesn't really bother me, as long as the pictures are there :). The menu is easy to use, and the pictures are great. It's my first digital camera, and so far I'm really pleased with its performance. A great buy!!

51 of 51 found the following review helpful:

The best digital camera on the market for under $300Sep 17, 2002
By R. W. Taylor "hope-this-helps"
1. First put in stores in April 2002. Great phot quality for a 2.0 Megapixel. I use it for sending photos on the web. It's great for that.

2. After lots of research, this is the best I could find for under [money]. Super buy.

3. You need a USB port on your computer.

4. Easy easy easy to use. If you have Windows XP on your computer, you plug the USB adaptor into the camera. XP recognizes the camera as a drive. (No software to install). You simply drag and drop the jpegs to your hard drive same as you would any files from any disk or drive. When you unplug the USB, the camera turns off. This probably works on Win98 as well, but you might want to check that out ahead of time.

5. Battery life is unmatched. I have used it all day (in the viewfinder mode) without seeing the battery power indicator move at all.

6. Sixe 4 1/2 X 2 1/2 inches.

7. Even close, the viewfinder does an excellent job of properly centering the photo. This saves battery life. You don't have to turn the screen on unless you want it.

8. Downfalls: You close the sliding lens cap to turn the camera off. If you push it too hard, the lens caps hits the lens and causes the pull-in-the-lens mechanism to jam. Can't review your photos on the rear screen unless you first turn the camera off. Pretty annoying if you want to show your shot to someone immediately.

9. Other things you will need. Get a cheap (non Olympus) NiCd batter charger. I found an Eveready set for [money]. It's much cheaper than the Olympus and works as well. Get a SmartMedia 128MB card to replace the one in the camera. You will have trouble filling it up before you download. ... You may want a vinyl case. It's not included.

10. Lots of other features I have never found the need to use, but they give a lot of added capability and depth to the camera.

11. Finally, the pop up flash does a great job with fill in ... like when you are taking a photo of people with a window behind them. The center weighted metering is not very good, so you will have to select flash instead of automatic.

43 of 43 found the following review helpful:

A perfect match between features and price!!Jul 21, 2002
By WilliamCAbraham
After doing extensive research both online and in stores (where you can actually hold the cameras), I decided that the Olympus D-520 was a great blend between features and price. Unless you're a pro photographer, you're not going to need more than 2 megapixel detail. I don't even use the highest setting, so I can store more pics on my memory card and computer. The camera has so many options, it's awesome. Read the manual for all the details.

Having used an older Olympus 1.3 mp model, I knew what I wanted in my OWN camera. The 3x optical zoom is, IMHO, essential. Taking big pictures and cropping doesn't make up for being able to zoom in. A store salesperson said that zoom lenses have to be of a higher optical quality than normal ones too. I wanted a small, lightweight package, which this definitely is. It only takes 2 AA batteries, and it's a lot smaller than previous models and those ones with the big 10x lenses. It takes Quicktime movies (in 15" or 1 minute segments, depending on resolution), but they don't have sound, so it's pretty useless, in my opinion.

Recommended accessories (in no order):
1. NIMH batteries (I got a set of 4 with a rapid charger)
2. Extra memory card (I already had a 64 Mb card, but it goes up to 128 on this camera.)
3. Carrying case (Bring your purchased camera, batteries, and memory card to a bunch of stores until you find one that fits well. I got a Tamarac that fits like a glove!)
4. USB Smart Media card reader (If you won't be using rechargeable batteries. If so, the included cable is just as fast and more compact for travel.)

If you plan on doing serious editing, the included Camedia software probably won't cut it, but it works fine for the casual user who just wants to view and edit pics.

I hope this helps your purchasing decision. It's an awesome camera!

49 of 50 found the following review helpful:

Great camera, great priceNov 04, 2002
By Eric R. Pedersen "erictred99"
I was looking for a good digital camera at a reasonable price. The D-520 definitely fits the bill. I wanted to make sure the camera I bought had enough features to keep me happy, but wasn't so complicated that my wife wouldn't use it. This camera seems to fit the bill. She can power it up and shoot away without worrying about changing any settings. I like the 3X optical zoom, it gives you lots of options for framing a shot as you take it without losing resolution like you would cropping the picture later in your computer. All of the pictures I have taken so far look great.

The only down side to this camera keeping me from giving it 5 stars is the Camedia Master software that comes with it. It doesn't allow you to do much but download pictures off the camera and put them in albums. My biggest beef is that it appears that you can't change where the software stores it albums. You can upgrade to the "pro" version of the software, which adds some nice features like being able to rename groups of pictures to one name root with a numbered extension ...Thankfully, the ability to drag and drop the pictures from the camera (it shows up as a removable drive on your PC) offsets this drawback.

I would highly recommend this camera. As with all digital cameras, you should invest in some good nickel metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries and a good charger. You may want to carry some spare charged batteries as well. I also recommend getting more smart media cards as the included card is only 16 MB. Some people recommend 128 MB, but since I don't like putting all my eggs in one basket (what if that card gets damaged or lost?) I recommend getting two 64 MB cards. The price difference isn't that much, and you have a backup card in case on gets damaged.

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