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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus Tough-3000

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
26
Overall
31

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Key Specs

Olympus E-420
(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
  • Launched June 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-410
Olympus Tough-3000
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.5-5.1) lens
  • 159g - 96 x 65 x 23mm
  • Launched January 2010
  • Additionally Known as mju Tough 3000
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-420 versus Olympus Tough-3000, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Waterproof and both are built by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the Tough-3000 (12MP) is relatively comparable but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and Tough-3000 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The E-420 was unveiled 18 months earlier than the Tough-3000 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-420 grades versus the Tough-3000 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus Tough-3000

 E-420 Tough-3000 
Focus manually Very exact focus

Reasons to pick Olympus Tough-3000 over the Olympus E-420

 Tough-3000 E-420 
LaunchedJanuary 2010June 2008More recent by 18 months

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus Tough-3000

 E-420 Tough-3000 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing2.7"2.7"Equivalent screen dimensions
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 enjoys outside measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Olympus Tough-3000 has specifications of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-420 versus Olympus Tough-3000 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-420 against the Tough-3000.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus Tough-3000 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and Tough-3000 is 77 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus Tough-3000 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is tough to imagine the difference in sensor measurements just by seeing specs. The photograph below might provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and Tough-3000.

All in all, the two cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-420 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Olympus Tough-3000 will show more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The older E-420 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus Tough-3000 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus Tough-3000 as a Portrait photography camera
56
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
21
focusing manually not possible
no manual mode
can't use external flash
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography factors
Olympus Tough-3000 Street photography factors
64
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (426 grams)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
62
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography info
Olympus Tough-3000 Sports photography info
38
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
low frames per second (4.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
low battery life (500 CIPA)
36
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking focus
weather proofing
low fps (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography features
Olympus Tough-3000 Travel photography features
52
lighter than competitors in class (426g)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
low battery life (500 shots)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
61
weather proofing
has built in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse mode
resolution not great (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-420
Landscape photography with Olympus Tough-3000
47
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
low battery life (500 per charge)
missing Time Lapse recording
35
relatively wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
focusing manually not possible
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
no manual mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging info
Olympus Tough-3000 Vlogging info
9
can't record video
28
relatively wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic socket
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Olympus Tough-3000
 Olympus E-420Olympus Stylus Tough-3000
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-420 Olympus Stylus Tough-3000
Alternate name - mju Tough 3000
Category Entry-Level DSLR Waterproof
Launched 2008-06-23 2010-01-07
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 dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 3968 x 2976
Maximum native ISO 1600 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 64
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-102mm (3.6x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.1
Macro focus range - 2cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - MPEG-4
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426g (0.94 lb) 159g (0.35 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 96 x 65 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9")
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 photos -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $999 $0