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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Olympus E-5 front
Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5 Key Specs

Olympus E-420
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 426g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Launched June 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-410
Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
  • Announced February 2011
  • Older Model is Olympus E-3
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5 Overview

Here is a in depth review of the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Advanced DSLR and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the E-5 (12MP) is relatively comparable and both cameras have the identical sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-420 was revealed 3 years before the E-5 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-420 scores against the E-5 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus E-5

 E-420 E-5 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Olympus E-420

 E-5 E-420 
AnnouncedFebruary 2011June 2008Fresher by 31 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kSharper screen (+690k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-5

 E-420 E-5 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-420 provides outer measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-5 has proportions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

See the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-420 against the E-5.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and E-5 is 77 and 58 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to see the difference in sensor sizing just by going through specifications. The visual below should offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and E-5.

Plainly, the 2 cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same resolution. You should count on the Olympus E-5 to show more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots way more aggressively. The older E-420 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography information
Olympus E-5 Portrait photography information
56
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
resolution not great (10MP)
60
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography factors
Olympus E-5 Street photography factors
64
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than others (426g)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
71
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
environment proof
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-420
Sports photography with Olympus E-5
38
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
low fps (4.0 fps)
no image stabilization
resolution not great (10MP)
low battery life (500 CIPA)
59
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment proof
has phase detect AF
low fps (5.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography details
Olympus E-5 Travel photography details
52
lighter than others (426 grams)
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse mode
low battery life (500 CIPA)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
56
environment proof
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
missing Time Lapse mode
MP count low (12 megapixels)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-420
Landscape photography with Olympus E-5
47
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no image stabilization
resolution not great (10MP)
low battery life (500 per charge)
missing Time Lapse mode
65
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
environment proof
2 card slots
MP count low (12 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging features
Olympus E-5 Vlogging features
9
no video shooting
64
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
has mic support
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-5
 Olympus E-420Olympus E-5
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-420 Olympus E-5
Type Entry-Level DSLR Advanced DSLR
Launched 2008-06-23 2011-02-03
Physical type Compact SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III TruePic V+
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 4032 x 3024
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 11
Cross focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 45 45
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - HyperCrystal transmissive LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.58x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per second 5.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 18.00 m (at ISO 200)
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 grams (0.94 lbs) 800 grams (1.76 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 56
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 21.6
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 10.5
DXO Low light score 527 519
Other
Battery life 500 photos 870 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - BLM-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Dual
Cost at release $999 $1,700