Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40


85 Imaging
52 Features
76 Overall
61
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 Key Specs
(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
(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

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).

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.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-420 & Olympus PEN E-P5. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Olympus E-P5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus E-P5
E-420 | E-P5 |
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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P5 over the Olympus E-420
E-P5 | E-420 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | October 2013 | ![]() | June 2008 | Newer by 64 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-P5 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Olympus 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 |