Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic SZ3

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic SZ3, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and SZ3 (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and SZ3 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor size.

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The E-420 was released 5 years earlier than the SZ3 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a more detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-420 scores vs the SZ3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Panasonic SZ3 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 features exterior dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ3 has specifications of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic SZ3 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-420 against the SZ3.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and SZ3 is 77 and 96 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to see the difference between sensor sizes merely by going over technical specs. The picture underneath might give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and SZ3.

As you can tell, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-420 featuring a larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic SZ3 will offer greater detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images way more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.