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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GF7

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 front
Portability
90
Imaging
53
Features
66
Overall
58

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GF7 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
  • Replaced the Olympus E-410
Panasonic GF7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • 1/16000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 266g - 107 x 65 x 33mm
  • Revealed February 2015
  • Succeeded the Panasonic GF6
  • Renewed by Panasonic GF8
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GF7 Overview

In this article, we are evaluating the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic GF7, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and GF7 (16MP) but they enjoy the same exact sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-420 was revealed 7 years earlier than the GF7 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic GF7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-420 scores against the GF7 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Panasonic GF7

 E-420 GF7 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF7 over the Olympus E-420

 GF7 E-420 
RevealedFebruary 2015June 2008More modern by 80 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1040k230kClearer display (+810k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic GF7

 E-420 GF7 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GF7 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera regularly, you should factor in 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") with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GF7 has specifications of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 266 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic GF7 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-420 and the GF7.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GF7 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and GF7 is 77 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GF7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GF7 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by looking through technical specs. The image below should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and GF7.

As you have seen, both cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Panasonic GF7 to provide you with more detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics far more aggressively. The more aged E-420 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GF7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GF7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GF7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic GF7 Portrait photography factors
56
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
65
manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography details
Panasonic GF7 Street photography details
64
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition (426g)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
80
has a tilting screen
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
comes with touch focus
above average high ISO (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic GF7 as a Sports photography camera
38
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
bad battery pack (500 shots)
51
max shutter speed is good (1/16,000s)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
slow fps (5.8 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery pack (230 per charge)
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic GF7 Travel photography highlights
52
lighter than competition (426 grams)
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
bad battery pack (500 CIPA)
megapixel count low (10MP)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
70
comes with touch focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
terrible battery pack (230 shots)
does not have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic GF7 Landscape photography factors
47
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inches)
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
bad battery pack (500 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
69
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery pack (230 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging features
Panasonic GF7 Vlogging features
9
lack of video recording
33
touchscreen capability
provides face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
lack of mic socket
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GF7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic GF7
 Olympus E-420Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-420 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2008-06-23 2015-02-01
Physical type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 4592 x 3448
Maximum native ISO 1600 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Lowest enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/16000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames/s 5.8 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on, flash on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, flash off
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 50p, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p, 25p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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) 266g (0.59 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 107 x 65 x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3")
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 pictures 230 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3-shot/10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $999 $308