Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SP-600 UZ

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SP-600 UZ, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Olympus. The resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the SP-600 UZ (12MP) is fairly close but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and SP-600 UZ (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizes.

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The E-420 was released 19 months prior to the SP-600 UZ making them a generation apart from one another. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus SP-600 UZ being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-420 scores vs the SP-600 UZ in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 & Olympus SP-600 UZ. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Olympus SP-600 UZ Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-420 comes with exterior dimensions 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 SP-600 UZ has sizing of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") and a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SP-600 UZ in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using during that time. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the E-420 vs the SP-600 UZ.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and SP-600 UZ is 77 and 69 respectively.

Typically, it's difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizing simply by looking through technical specs. The graphic here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and SP-600 UZ.

As you have seen, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-420 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus SP-600 UZ will render extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older E-420 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.