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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic XS1

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 front
Portability
97
Imaging
40
Features
26
Overall
34

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic XS1 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
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-410
Panasonic XS1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 103g - 94 x 54 x 14mm
  • Announced January 2013
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic XS1 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic XS1, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and XS1 (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and XS1 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-420 was released 5 years before the XS1 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic XS1 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-420 matches up against the XS1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Panasonic XS1

 E-420 XS1 
Manually focus Very precise focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic XS1 over the Olympus E-420

 XS1 E-420 
AnnouncedJanuary 2013June 2008Fresher by 55 months

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic XS1

 E-420 XS1 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing2.7"2.7"Equivalent display measurements
Display resolution230k230kIdentical display resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic XS1 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-420 features outer dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic XS1 has sizing of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") accompanied by a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic XS1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at the time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the E-420 versus the XS1.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic XS1 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and XS1 is 77 and 97 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic XS1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic XS1 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is tough to envision the contrast between sensor sizing just by checking specs. The visual below will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and XS1.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-420 featuring a larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic XS1 will give extra detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a little more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic XS1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-420
Portrait photography with Panasonic XS1
56
focusing manually
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
megapixel count low (10MP)
30
good resolution (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography advice
Panasonic XS1 Street photography advice
64
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
lighter than average (426 grams)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
64
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (103 grams)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography features
Panasonic XS1 Sports photography features
38
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
slow fps (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
low battery pack (500 per charge)
41
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
low fps (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography advice
Panasonic XS1 Travel photography advice
52
lighter than average (426g)
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse recording
low battery pack (500 shots)
megapixel count low (10MP)
does not contain selfie friendly display
69
lighter than competitors (103 grams)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (24mm)
no Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic XS1 as a Landscape photography camera
47
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
low battery pack (500 shots)
missing Time Lapse recording
39
relatively wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual mode not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-420
Vlogging with Panasonic XS1
9
can't shoot video
31
relatively wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (103 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone jack
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic XS1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic XS1
 Olympus E-420Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-420 Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2008-06-23 2013-01-07
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-6.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.40 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426g (0.94 lb) 103g (0.23 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 94 x 54 x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6")
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 images 260 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail cost $999 $130