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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-PL6

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
Portability
88
Imaging
53
Features
77
Overall
62

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-PL6 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-PL6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Announced August 2014
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL7
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-PL6 Overview

Below is a in depth review of the Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-PL6, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both created by Olympus. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and E-PL6 (16MP) but both cameras offer the identical sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-420 was unveiled 7 years before the E-PL6 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-420 matches up vs the E-PL6 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus E-PL6

 E-420 E-PL6 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Olympus E-420

 E-PL6 E-420 
AnnouncedAugust 2014June 2008More recent by 74 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-PL6

 E-420 E-PL6 
Manual focus Very precise focus

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-PL6 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you should factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 comes with exterior 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) whilst the Olympus E-PL6 has dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-PL6 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 change dependant on the lens you select during that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-420 versus the E-PL6.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-PL6 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and E-PL6 is 77 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-PL6 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-PL6 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to see the gap between sensor measurements merely by reading through technical specs. The visual below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and E-PL6.

As you have seen, each of these cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Olympus E-PL6 to resolve greater detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-PL6 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-PL6 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-PL6 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus E-PL6 as a Portrait photography camera
56
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low MP (10MP)
71
focusing manually
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography details
Olympus E-PL6 Street photography details
64
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than others in class (426g)
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
features focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography information
Olympus E-PL6 Sports photography information
38
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
low MP (10 megapixels)
low battery life (500 CIPA)
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography details
Olympus E-PL6 Travel photography details
52
lighter than others in class (426g)
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse recording
low battery life (500 shots)
low MP (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
85
features focus by touch
good megapixels (16MP)
selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus E-PL6 Landscape photography highlights
47
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
does not have image stabilization
low MP (10 megapixels)
low battery life (500 per charge)
does not have Timelapse recording
80
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging features
Olympus E-PL6 Vlogging features
9
no video
79
selfie friendly display
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
missing microphone support
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-PL6 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Olympus E-PL6
 Olympus E-420Olympus PEN E-PL6
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-420 Olympus PEN E-PL6
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2008-06-23 2014-08-01
Physical type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III TruePic VI
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
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 35
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames per sec 8.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180s -
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 - MPEG-4, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
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 grams (0.94 pounds) 325 grams (0.72 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 pictures 360 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Retail cost $999 $300