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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS front
Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Key Specs

Olympus E-420
(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
  • Announced June 2008
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-410
Olympus TG-850 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 218g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2014
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Overview

In this article, we are contrasting the Olympus E-420 versus Olympus TG-850 iHS, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Waterproof and they are both produced by Olympus. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and TG-850 iHS (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and TG-850 iHS (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-420 was revealed 6 years prior to the TG-850 iHS which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus TG-850 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-420 grades vs the TG-850 iHS when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus TG-850 iHS

 E-420 TG-850 iHS 
Manually focus Very exact focus

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-850 iHS over the Olympus E-420

 TG-850 iHS E-420 
RevealedJanuary 2014June 2008More modern by 68 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus TG-850 iHS

 E-420 TG-850 iHS 
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch display Neither has Touch display

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 has outer 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 TG-850 iHS has dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") having a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-420 versus Olympus TG-850 iHS in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that moment. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-420 compared to the TG-850 iHS.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and TG-850 iHS is 77 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its tough to see the difference in sensor sizes purely by researching specifications. The picture here may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and TG-850 iHS.

Plainly, each of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-420 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Olympus TG-850 iHS will render more detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more aged E-420 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography highlights
Olympus TG-850 iHS Portrait photography highlights
56
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
35
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography factors
Olympus TG-850 iHS Street photography factors
64
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (426 grams)
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
69
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Sports photography camera
38
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
low frames per second (4.0 fps)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
low battery (500 CIPA)
51
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
better than average battery power (330 per charge)
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than competition in class (426 grams)
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
low battery (500 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
72
better than average battery power (330 per charge)
environment sealing
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (21mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography advice
Olympus TG-850 iHS Landscape photography advice
47
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
low battery (500 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
50
really wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
better than average battery power (330 per charge)
focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not available
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging details
Olympus TG-850 iHS Vlogging details
9
can't shoot video
33
really wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no external microphone support
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Olympus TG-850 iHS
 Olympus E-420Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-420 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS
Type Entry-Level DSLR Waterproof
Announced 2008-06-23 2014-01-29
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
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 10MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4616 x 3464
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Number of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 1/2s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Yes
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 426g (0.94 lbs) 218g (0.48 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1")
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 photos 330 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 sec, 12 sec, Custom Self-Timer (1-30 sec start timer, 1-10 pictures, 1-3 sec interval))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $999 $250