Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-420 versus Olympus SZ-12, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and SZ-12 (14MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and SZ-12 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-420 was revealed 4 years prior to the SZ-12 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-420 matches up versus the SZ-12 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-420 & Olympus SZ-12. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Olympus SZ-12 Gallery.

If you are planning to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 has exterior 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 SZ-12 has dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-420 versus Olympus SZ-12 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-420 against the SZ-12.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and SZ-12 is 77 and 89 respectively.

Normally, its difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions purely by checking a spec sheet. The pic underneath will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and SZ-12.

As you can see, both of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-420 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus SZ-12 will resolve extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.