Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-11
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40


89 Imaging
37 Features
37 Overall
37
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-11 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 1600
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 426g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
- Launched June 2008
- Superseded the Olympus E-410
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 1600
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-500mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
- 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
- Released July 2011

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-11 Overview
Here is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-420 versus Olympus SZ-11, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both offered by Olympus. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and SZ-11 (14MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and SZ-11 (1/2.3") offer different sensor dimensions.

The E-420 was brought out 4 years before the SZ-11 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera.
Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-420 scores versus the SZ-11 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-11 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-420 & Olympus SZ-11. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Olympus SZ-11 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus SZ-11
E-420 | SZ-11 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | More accurate focusing |
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-11 over the Olympus E-420
SZ-11 | E-420 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | July 2011 | ![]() | June 2008 | Fresher by 37 months |
Screen size | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer screen (+230k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus SZ-11
E-420 | SZ-11 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lack of selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither contains Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-11 Physical Comparison
When you are going to carry your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-420 has got outer dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-11 has measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-420 versus Olympus SZ-11 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-420 compared to the SZ-11.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and SZ-11 is 77 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-11 Sensor Comparison
Usually, its hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizing purely by reading through a spec sheet. The visual underneath should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and SZ-11.
As you can see, each of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-420 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus SZ-11 will resolve greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-11 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-11 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Olympus SZ-11 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Olympus |
Model | Olympus E-420 | Olympus SZ-11 |
Category | Entry-Level DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Launched | 2008-06-23 | 2011-07-27 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic III | TruePic III+ |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4288 x 3216 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 1600 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | - |
Cross focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 25-500mm (20.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.0-6.9 |
Macro focus distance | - | 1cm |
Total lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 2.7 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of screen | 230k dots | 460k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Screen tech | - | TFT Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60 secs | 4 secs |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 4.0 frames per second | 7.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 9.30 m (@ ISO 1600) |
Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash synchronize | 1/180 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
Video data format | - | Motion JPEG |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
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 gr (0.94 lbs) | 226 gr (0.50 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall 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 photographs | 200 photographs |
Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | LI-50B |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch pricing | $999 | $253 |