Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-5020
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40


95 Imaging
34 Features
20 Overall
28
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-5020 Key Specs
(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
- Previous Model is Olympus E-410
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 64 - 1600
- 640 x 480 video
- 24-120mm (F3.3-5.8) lens
- 137g - 93 x 56 x 25mm
- Announced July 2009
- Additionally Known as X-935

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-5020 Overview
In this article, we are reviewing the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-5020, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are manufactured by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the FE-5020 (12MP) is fairly comparable but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and FE-5020 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.

The E-420 was brought out 13 months prior to the FE-5020 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus FE-5020 being a Compact camera.
Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-420 matches up against the FE-5020 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-5020 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 & Olympus FE-5020. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Olympus FE-5020 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus FE-5020
E-420 | FE-5020 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very precise focusing |
Reasons to pick Olympus FE-5020 over the Olympus E-420
FE-5020 | E-420 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | July 2009 | ![]() | June 2008 | Fresher by 13 months |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus FE-5020
E-420 | FE-5020 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Display sizing | 2.7" | ![]() | 2.7" | Equivalent display measurement |
Display resolution | 230k | ![]() | 230k | Identical display resolution |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lacking selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Neither offers Touch friendly display |
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-5020 Physical Comparison
If you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 offers external measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Olympus FE-5020 has dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 137 grams (0.30 lbs).
See the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-5020 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the E-420 versus the FE-5020.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and FE-5020 is 77 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-5020 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it is tough to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing merely by going through specs. The visual underneath might give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and FE-5020.
As you can plainly see, both of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-420 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus FE-5020 will produce more detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images far more aggressively. The older E-420 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-5020 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus FE-5020 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Olympus FE-5020 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Olympus |
Model | Olympus E-420 | Olympus FE-5020 |
Also referred to as | - | X-935 |
Class | Entry-Level DSLR | Small Sensor Compact |
Launched | 2008-06-23 | 2009-07-22 |
Body design | Compact SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic III | TruePic III |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 |
Highest Possible resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 3968 x 2976 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 1600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 64 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 24-120mm (5.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.3-5.8 |
Macro focus range | - | 1cm |
Total lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 2.7 inches | 2.7 inches |
Screen resolution | 230 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60s | 4s |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/500s |
Continuous shutter speed | 4.0fps | - |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 4.10 m |
Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | 1/180s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
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 |
Microphone jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
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 seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 426g (0.94 lbs) | 137g (0.30 lbs) |
Dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 93 x 56 x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall 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 form | Battery Pack | - |
Battery model | - | LI-42B |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (12 seconds) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | xD-Picture Card, microSD |
Storage slots | One | One |
Pricing at release | $999 | $160 |