Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GF6

Here, we are evaluating the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic GF6, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and GF6 (16MP) but both cameras posses the identical sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-420 was launched 5 years earlier than the GF6 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic GF6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-420 grades vs the GF6 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery and Panasonic GF6 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-420 comes with outside measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GF6 has sizing of 111mm x 65mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 323 grams (0.71 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic GF6 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-420 and the GF6.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and GF6 is 77 and 87 respectively.

Quite often, it's tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizing simply by looking through specs. The graphic below should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and GF6.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras come with the identical sensor size but not the same megapixels. You should expect to see the Panasonic GF6 to render extra detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older E-420 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.