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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Olympus FE-45 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
14
Overall
25

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 Key Specs

Olympus E-420
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 426g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Launched June 2008
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-410
Olympus FE-45
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 36-108mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 142g - 94 x 62 x 23mm
  • Introduced January 2009
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both created by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the FE-45 (10MP) is relatively similar but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and FE-45 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizes.

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The E-420 was announced 6 months earlier than the FE-45 and they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus FE-45 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-420 grades against the FE-45 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus FE-45

 E-420 FE-45 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen dimensions2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")

Reasons to pick Olympus FE-45 over the Olympus E-420

 FE-45 E-420 

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus FE-45

 E-420 FE-45 
IntroducedJune 2008January 2009Similar age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 has physical measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Olympus FE-45 has specifications of 94mm x 62mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") along with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-420 vs the FE-45.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and FE-45 is 77 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's hard to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by reviewing specifications. The image here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and FE-45.

Plainly, both cameras provide the same resolution albeit different sensor dimensions. The E-420 uses the bigger sensor which is going to make getting shallower DOF less difficult.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-420
Portrait photography with Olympus FE-45
56
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10MP)
19
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
low MP (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-420
Street photography with Olympus FE-45
64
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than average in class (426 grams)
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
56
built in image stabilization (Digital)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-420
Sports photography with Olympus FE-45
38
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
low battery (500 per charge)
26
built in image stabilization (Digital)
no shutter priority mode
low MP (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography highlights
Olympus FE-45 Travel photography highlights
52
lighter than average in class (426g)
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
low battery (500 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
51
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse recording
low MP (10 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (36mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus FE-45 as a Landscape photography camera
47
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
low battery (500 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse mode
27
built in image stabilization (Digital)
focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (36mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
lack of manual mode
low MP (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
lack of Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus FE-45 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
25
built in image stabilization (Digital)
wide angle not great (36mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
low res video (640 x 480 resolution)
lack of external mic socket
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Olympus FE-45
 Olympus E-420Olympus FE-45
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-420 Olympus FE-45
Type Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2008-06-23 2009-01-07
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 1600 1600
Minimum native ISO 100 64
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 36-108mm (3.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of display 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 4.0fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 640x480
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426g (0.94 pounds) 142g (0.31 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 94 x 62 x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 527 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 pictures -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $999 $130