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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1 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
  • Announced June 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-410
Olympus E-M1
(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
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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).

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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.

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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 
IntroducedOctober 2013June 2008More modern by 65 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kSharper 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1 size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

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

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography details
Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography details
56
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
71
focusing manually
high flash sync (1/320s)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography info
Olympus E-M1 Street photography info
64
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
lighter than average in class (426 grams)
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
78
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
offers touch to focus
environment proof
lighter than others (497g)
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography info
Olympus E-M1 Sports photography info
38
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
bad battery pack (500 shots)
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proof
sensor has phase detect AF
not so great battery (350 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-420
Travel photography with Olympus E-M1
52
lighter than average in class (426 grams)
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (500 shots)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
65
lighter than others (497g)
environment proof
offers touch to focus
MP count decent (16MP)
not so great battery (350 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography factors
Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography factors
47
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is small (2.7")
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (10MP)
bad battery pack (500 per charge)
does not have Timelapse recording
73
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment proof
not so great battery (350 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-M1 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't shoot video
36
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external microphone support
lighter than others (497 grams)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-M1
 Olympus E-420Olympus 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