Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic LF1
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40


92 Imaging
37 Features
55 Overall
44
Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic LF1 Key Specs
(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
- Revealed June 2008
- Earlier Model is Olympus E-410
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 6400 (Increase to 12800)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 28-200mm (F2.0-5.9) lens
- 192g - 103 x 62 x 28mm
- Launched November 2013

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic LF1 Overview
Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic LF1, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the LF1 (12MP) is fairly similar but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and LF1 (1/1.7") posses totally different sensor size.

The E-420 was introduced 6 years prior to the LF1 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic LF1 being a Compact camera.
Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-420 scores versus the LF1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic LF1 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Panasonic LF1 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Panasonic LF1
E-420 | LF1 |
---|
Reasons to pick Panasonic LF1 over the Olympus E-420
LF1 | E-420 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | November 2013 | ![]() | June 2008 | More recent by 66 months |
Display size | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 920k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+690k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic LF1
E-420 | LF1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Very exact focus | ||
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | No selfie screen | ||
Touch display | ![]() | No Touch display |
Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic LF1 Physical Comparison
If you're aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 has outer dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic LF1 has specifications of 103mm x 62mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic LF1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-420 against the LF1.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and LF1 is 77 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic LF1 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, it is hard to envision the contrast between sensor measurements just by going over technical specs. The graphic below will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and LF1.
As you have seen, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-420 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic LF1 will offer you greater detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic LF1 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic LF1 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus E-420 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 |
Type | Entry-Level DSLR | Small Sensor Compact |
Revealed | 2008-06-23 | 2013-11-26 |
Body design | Compact SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic III | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/1.7" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 7.44 x 5.58mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 41.5mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4000 x 3000 |
Highest native ISO | 1600 | 6400 |
Highest enhanced ISO | - | 12800 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 28-200mm (7.1x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/2.0-5.9 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 3cm |
Total lenses | 45 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 4.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 2.7 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of screen | 230 thousand dot | 920 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Screen tech | - | TFT Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60 seconds | 60 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shutter speed | 4.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 7.00 m |
Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | 1/180 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps) |
Highest video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Microphone jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
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 seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 426 gr (0.94 lb) | 192 gr (0.42 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 103 x 62 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.1") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 56 | 52 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.5 | 20.8 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.4 | 11.6 |
DXO Low light rating | 527 | 211 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 500 photographs | 250 photographs |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Price at release | $999 | $500 |