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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 II

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 II 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
  • Introduced June 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-410
Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Released February 2015
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M5
  • Updated by Olympus E-M5 III
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 II Overview

In this article, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-M5 II, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and they are both created by Olympus. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and E-M5 II (16MP) but they feature the same exact sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-420 was launched 7 years earlier than the E-M5 II which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-420 scores against the E-M5 II for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 E-420 E-M5 II 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Olympus E-420

 E-M5 II E-420 
ReleasedFebruary 2015June 2008More modern by 80 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-M5 II

 E-420 E-M5 II 
Manually focus Very precise focusing

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 II Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 enjoys 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) while the Olympus E-M5 II has dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") having a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-M5 II in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-420 compared to the E-M5 II.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 II size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and E-M5 II is 77 and 80 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 II Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes merely by viewing specs. The pic underneath will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and E-M5 II.

All in all, the 2 cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You should expect the Olympus E-M5 II to result in greater detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged E-420 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography information
Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography information
56
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
MP count low (10 megapixels)
71
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography details
Olympus E-M5 II Street photography details
64
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (426g)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
82
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
features focus by touch
weather proofing
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus E-M5 II as a Sports photography camera
38
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
low fps (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
terrible battery (500 shots)
65
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
quiet mode (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
weather proofing
bad battery power (310 CIPA)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography info
Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography info
52
lighter than competitors in class (426 grams)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
terrible battery (500 shots)
MP count low (10MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
74
weather proofing
features focus by touch
megapixel count good (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
bad battery power (310 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography details
Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography details
47
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7")
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
terrible battery (500 per charge)
does not have Timelapse recording
74
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
bad battery power (310 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-M5 II as a Vlogging camera
9
no video recording
82
selfie friendly screen
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone jack
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-M5 II
 Olympus E-420Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-420 Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
Type Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2008-06-23 2015-02-06
Body design Compact SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS MOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Minimum boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 3 81
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.74x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/16000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 4.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 426 gr (0.94 lb) 469 gr (1.03 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 73
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 23.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 12.4
DXO Low light rating 527 896
Other
Battery life 500 photos 310 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $999 $699