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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 III

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 III 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
  • Replaced the Olympus E-410
Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Revealed October 2019
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M5 II
  • Newer Model is OM System OM-5
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 III Overview

Here is a thorough review of the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 III, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and they are both created by Olympus. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and E-M5 III (20MP) but they enjoy the same exact sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-420 was unveiled 12 years prior to the E-M5 III and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-420 grades versus the E-M5 III in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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

 E-420 E-M5 III 

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

 E-M5 III E-420 
RevealedOctober 2019June 2008Fresher by 137 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

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

 E-420 E-M5 III 
Focus manually Very exact focus

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

For those who are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-420 provides external measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Olympus E-M5 III has measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") having a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs).

See the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 III in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-420 against the E-M5 III.

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

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and E-M5 III is 77 and 80 respectively.

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

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

Typically, it is very difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizing merely by viewing specifications. The visual here will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and E-M5 III.

To sum up, the 2 cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same MP. You should expect the Olympus E-M5 III to result in more detail having an extra 10MP. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-420 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.

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

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

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography highlights
Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography highlights
56
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (10MP)
77
has manual focus
resolution is good (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography highlights
Olympus E-M5 III Street photography highlights
64
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition (426 grams)
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
83
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
provides touch to focus
weather proof
very good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus E-M5 III as a Sports photography camera
38
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
low fps (4.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
low battery pack (500 shots)
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (30.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
weather proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
terrible battery life (310 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-420
Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 III
52
lighter than competition (426 grams)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse function
low battery pack (500 shots)
megapixel count low (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
77
weather proof
connects via bluetooth
provides touch to focus
resolution is good (20MP)
selfie friendly screen
terrible battery life (310 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-420
Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 III
47
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
low battery pack (500 shots)
missing Time Lapse function
77
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
terrible battery life (310 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging features
Olympus E-M5 III Vlogging features
9
no video shooting
84
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection autofocus
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
does have external mic port
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-M5 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-M5 III
 Olympus E-420Olympus OM-D E-M5 III
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-420 Olympus OM-D E-M5 III
Category Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2008-06-23 2019-10-17
Body design Compact SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III TruePic VIII
Sensor type CMOS MOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.4 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 226.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 1600 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Lowest enhanced ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 3 121
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 1,040 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.68x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 30.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution None 4096x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 grams (0.94 pounds) 414 grams (0.91 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0")
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 shots 310 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported)
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $999 $1,199