Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40


95 Imaging
33 Features
14 Overall
25
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 Key Specs
(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
(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

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.

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.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-420 & Olympus FE-45. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Olympus FE-45 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus FE-45
E-420 | FE-45 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial exact focus | ||
Screen dimensions | 2.7" | ![]() | 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 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | June 2008 | ![]() | January 2009 | Similar age |
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen resolution | 230k | ![]() | 230k | Exact 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-45 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Olympus 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 |