Olympus E-420 vs Olympus E-PL6

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.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-420 and Olympus PEN E-PL6. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery and Olympus E-PL6 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.