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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-310

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Olympus TG-310 front
Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
33
Overall
35

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-310 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
  • Released June 2008
  • Older Model is Olympus E-410
Olympus TG-310
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.9-5.9) lens
  • 155g - 96 x 63 x 23mm
  • Announced January 2011
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-310 Overview

In this article, we will be looking at the Olympus E-420 and Olympus TG-310, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Waterproof and both are manufactured by Olympus. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and TG-310 (14MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and TG-310 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor size.

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The E-420 was launched 3 years before the TG-310 which is a fairly significant gap 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-310 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-420 matches up versus the TG-310 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus TG-310

 E-420 TG-310 
Manually focus More exact focusing

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-310 over the Olympus E-420

 TG-310 E-420 
AnnouncedJanuary 2011June 2008Newer by 30 months

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus TG-310

 E-420 TG-310 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing2.7"2.7"Equivalent screen size
Screen resolution230k230kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-310 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-420 offers external measurements 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 TG-310 has proportions of 96mm x 63mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9") with a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

See the Olympus E-420 and Olympus TG-310 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-420 versus the TG-310.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-310 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and TG-310 is 77 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-310 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-310 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be tough to picture the gap in sensor dimensions just by going through technical specs. The pic below should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and TG-310.

As you have seen, both the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-420 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus TG-310 will show more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The more aged E-420 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-310 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-310 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-310 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography advice
Olympus TG-310 Portrait photography advice
56
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low MP (10 megapixels)
33
MP count decent (14MP)
comes with face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Street photography camera
Olympus TG-310 as a Street photography camera
64
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than others in class (426g)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
66
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
lighter than others in class (155 grams)
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography details
Olympus TG-310 Sports photography details
38
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect auto focus
low fps (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
not so great battery (500 CIPA)
40
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
slow fps (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery power (150 CIPA)
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus TG-310 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than others in class (426g)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse function
not so great battery (500 CIPA)
low MP (10MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
67
lighter than others in class (155g)
weather proofing
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (28mm)
no Timelapse recording
low battery power (150 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography details
Olympus TG-310 Landscape photography details
47
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inch)
lack of image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
not so great battery (500 shots)
missing Time Lapse function
39
rather wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (14MP)
weather proofing
manual focus not available
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
manual exposure not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
low battery power (150 CIPA)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging advice
Olympus TG-310 Vlogging advice
9
lack of video recording
32
rather wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection autofocus
lighter than others in class (155 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
screen is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone support
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-310 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Olympus TG-310
 Olympus E-420Olympus TG-310
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-420 Olympus TG-310
Class Entry-Level DSLR Waterproof
Released 2008-06-23 2011-01-06
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 1600 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 3 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-102mm (3.6x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.9-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 4.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.20 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 426 grams (0.94 lb) 155 grams (0.34 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 96 x 63 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 527 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 shots 150 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - LI-42B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $999 $0