Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40


71 Imaging
52 Features
85 Overall
65
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1 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
- Announced June 2008
- Superseded the Olympus E-410
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
- Introduced October 2013
- Renewed by Olympus E-M1 II

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1 Overview
Here, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-420 versus Olympus E-M1, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless and they are both built by Olympus. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and E-M1 (16MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

The E-420 was released 6 years before the E-M1 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-420 scores versus the E-M1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-420 and Olympus OM-D E-M1. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery and Olympus E-M1 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus E-M1
E-420 | E-M1 |
---|
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus E-420
E-M1 | E-420 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | October 2013 | ![]() | June 2008 | More modern by 65 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen size | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+807k dot) |
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-M1
E-420 | E-M1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very accurate focusing | ||
Selfie screen | ![]() | Absent selfie screen |
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is going to carry around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 has external dimensions 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 E-M1 has dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-420 versus Olympus E-M1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose at that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-420 versus the E-M1.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and E-M1 is 77 and 71 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is hard to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes merely by looking through a spec sheet. The pic underneath will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and E-M1.
As you can see, each of these cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit different resolution. You should count on the Olympus E-M1 to render extra detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged E-420 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Olympus |
Model | Olympus E-420 | Olympus OM-D E-M1 |
Class | Entry-Level DSLR | Pro Mirrorless |
Announced | 2008-06-23 | 2013-10-28 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic III | TruePIC VII |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | Four Thirds |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 17.3 x 13mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 224.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10MP | 16MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4608 x 3456 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | 81 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds |
Amount of lenses | 45 | 107 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 2.1 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Screen diagonal | 2.7 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of screen | 230k dots | 1,037k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 2,360k dots |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | 0.74x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60s | 60s |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/8000s |
Continuous shooting rate | 4.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | no built-in flash |
Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/180s | 1/320s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | H.264, Motion JPEG |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
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 gr (0.94 lbs) | 497 gr (1.10 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 56 | 73 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.5 | 23.0 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.4 | 12.7 |
DXO Low light score | 527 | 757 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 500 photographs | 350 photographs |
Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | BLN-1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch pricing | $999 | $799 |