Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-15
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40


88 Imaging
40 Features
50 Overall
44
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-15 Key Specs
(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
- Revealed June 2008
- Superseded the Olympus E-410
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 23-483mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
- 250g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
- Introduced June 2013

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-15 Overview
Here is a complete comparison of the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-15, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are sold by Olympus. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and SZ-15 (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and SZ-15 (1/2.3") feature different sensor size.

The E-420 was manufactured 6 years prior to the SZ-15 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera.
Before diving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-420 scores vs the SZ-15 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-15 Gallery
Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-420 & Olympus SZ-15. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Olympus SZ-15 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus SZ-15
E-420 | SZ-15 |
---|
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Olympus E-420
SZ-15 | E-420 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | June 2013 | ![]() | June 2008 | Fresher by 60 months |
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+230k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus SZ-15
E-420 | SZ-15 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Dial exact focusing | ||
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lacking selfie screen | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Lacking Touch display |
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-15 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is going to carry your camera, you need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-420 features outside dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-15 has proportions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") having a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-15 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with during that time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-420 and the SZ-15.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and SZ-15 is 77 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-15 Sensor Comparison
Often, it is hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizing only by looking at specifications. The visual here should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and SZ-15.
Plainly, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-420 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus SZ-15 will give you greater detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images far more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-15 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-15 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Olympus SZ-15 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Olympus |
Model | Olympus E-420 | Olympus SZ-15 |
Class | Entry-Level DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Revealed | 2008-06-23 | 2013-06-21 |
Body design | Compact SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | 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 surface area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
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 | 3200 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | - |
Cross focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 23-483mm (21.0x) |
Highest aperture | - | f/2.8-5.9 |
Macro focus range | - | 5cm |
Amount of lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display size | 2.7" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 230k dot | 460k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Display tech | - | LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 8 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 4.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 3.50 m |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/180 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG |
Microphone jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 426 gr (0.94 pounds) | 250 gr (0.55 pounds) |
Dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") |
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 | - |
Battery form | Battery Pack | - |
Battery model | - | SLB-10A |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Storage slots | One | One |
Retail pricing | $999 | $200 |