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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5

Portability
77
Imaging
45
Features
36
Overall
41
Olympus E-420 front
 
Olympus PEN E-P5 front
Portability
85
Imaging
53
Features
76
Overall
62

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 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
  • Announced June 2008
  • Older Model is Olympus E-410
Olympus E-P5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 420g - 122 x 69 x 37mm
  • Released October 2013
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-P3
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 Overview

On this page, we will be matching up the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. There is a large difference among the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and E-P5 (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-420 was revealed 6 years before the E-P5 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-420 scores against the E-P5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus E-P5

 E-420 E-P5 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P5 over the Olympus E-420

 E-P5 E-420 
ReleasedOctober 2013June 2008Newer by 64 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-P5

 E-420 E-P5 
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you should take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-420 offers external measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Olympus E-P5 has proportions of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") along with a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-420 and the E-P5.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and E-P5 is 77 and 85 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's hard to envision the contrast in sensor dimensions just by researching technical specs. The pic below will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and E-P5.

As you can tell, each of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same MP. You can count on the Olympus E-P5 to result in greater detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged E-420 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography factors
Olympus E-P5 Portrait photography factors
57
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
71
has manual focus
great flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography details
Olympus E-P5 Street photography details
64
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition (426g)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
78
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
offers touch focus
above average high ISO (25,600)
more heavy than average (420 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography advice
Olympus E-P5 Sports photography advice
39
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (500 per charge)
68
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-P5 as a Travel photography camera
53
lighter than competition (426 grams)
built-in flash
missing Timelapse recording
not so great battery pack (500 shots)
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
68
offers touch focus
resolution is good (16MP)
flash built-in
more heavy than average (420g)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography information
Olympus E-P5 Landscape photography information
47
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inch)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (500 CIPA)
missing Timelapse recording
79
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging features
Olympus E-P5 Vlogging features
9
no video shooting
33
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
doesn't have external microphone socket
more heavy than average (420 grams)
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-P5
 Olympus E-420Olympus PEN E-P5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-420 Olympus PEN E-P5
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2008-06-23 2013-10-03
Physical type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III -
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 10 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 35
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - 3:2 LCD capacitive touchscreen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames/s 9.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 7.00 m (ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (1st or 2nd curtain), Manual (1/1 - 1/64)
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/320 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 426g (0.94 lb) 420g (0.93 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 122 x 69 x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 72
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 12.4
DXO Low light rating 527 895
Other
Battery life 500 photographs 330 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $999 $389