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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GH2

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 front
Portability
70
Imaging
51
Features
65
Overall
56

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GH2 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
  • Announced June 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-410
Panasonic GH2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 442g - 124 x 90 x 76mm
  • Released March 2011
  • Previous Model is Panasonic GH1
  • Newer Model is Panasonic GH3
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GH2 Overview

The following is a detailed overview of the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic GH2, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and GH2 (16MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-420 was announced 3 years earlier than the GH2 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a complete comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-420 grades versus the GH2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Panasonic GH2

 E-420 GH2 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Olympus E-420

 GH2 E-420 
ReleasedMarch 2011June 2008Newer by 33 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic GH2

 E-420 GH2 
Manually focus More precise focus

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GH2 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to travel with your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 provides external measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GH2 has specifications of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") along with a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic GH2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-420 vs the GH2.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GH2 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and GH2 is 77 and 70 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GH2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GH2 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to picture the gap in sensor dimensions just by going through technical specs. The image below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and GH2.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different MP. You can expect to see the Panasonic GH2 to show greater detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-420 will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GH2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography info
Panasonic GH2 Portrait photography info
56
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
70
focusing manually
good resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography info
Panasonic GH2 Street photography info
64
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (426g)
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
68
fully articulated screen
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography advice
Panasonic GH2 Sports photography advice
38
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
slow frames per second (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (10MP)
terrible battery life (500 CIPA)
46
good resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
slow fps (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
bad battery pack (330 shots)
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic GH2 Travel photography highlights
52
lighter than competition in class (426g)
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
terrible battery life (500 shots)
resolution not great (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
62
good resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
does not have Timelapse function
bad battery pack (330 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography features
Panasonic GH2 Landscape photography features
47
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7")
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
terrible battery life (500 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse mode
60
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
good resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
bad battery pack (330 per charge)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging info
Panasonic GH2 Vlogging info
9
no video shooting
71
screen is selfie friendly
screen is touchscreen
supports face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external microphone socket
does not have image stabilization
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic GH2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic GH2
 Olympus E-420Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-420 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Class Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2008-06-23 2011-03-23
Physical type Compact SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 160
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.71x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 15.60 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (24, 30, 60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 426g (0.94 lb) 442g (0.97 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 56 60
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 21.2
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 11.3
DXO Low light rating 527 655
Other
Battery life 500 shots 330 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $999 $1,000