Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FZ70

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic FZ70, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and FZ70 (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and FZ70 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-420 was revealed 6 years prior to the FZ70 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FZ70 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going right into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-420 matches up versus the FZ70 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Panasonic FZ70 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 has outer measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic FZ70 has dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 118mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 4.6") and a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic FZ70 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the E-420 compared to the FZ70.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and FZ70 is 77 and 63 respectively.

Typically, it can be tough to envision the difference between sensor sizing merely by reading specs. The visual underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and FZ70.

All in all, both of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-420 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic FZ70 will deliver greater detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.