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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZR1

Portability
77
Imaging
45
Features
36
Overall
41
Olympus E-420 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZR1 Key Specs

Olympus E-420
(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
  • Launched June 2008
  • Older Model is Olympus E-410
Panasonic ZR1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-200mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 158g - 98 x 55 x 26mm
  • Launched July 2009
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-ZX1
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZR1 Overview

Here, we are evaluating the Olympus E-420 versus Panasonic ZR1, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the ZR1 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and ZR1 (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The E-420 was launched 13 months before the ZR1 making them a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a complete comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-420 matches up vs the ZR1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Panasonic ZR1

 E-420 ZR1 
Manual focus Very exact focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZR1 over the Olympus E-420

 ZR1 E-420 
LaunchedJuly 2009June 2008Fresher by 13 months

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZR1

 E-420 ZR1 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size2.7"2.7"Same display sizing
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZR1 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry your camera regularly, you need to factor 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") and a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic ZR1 has sizing of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") along with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-420 versus Panasonic ZR1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-420 compared to the ZR1.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZR1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and ZR1 is 77 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZR1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZR1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizing purely by reading through specs. The visual below will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and ZR1.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-420 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic ZR1 will resolve extra detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZR1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZR1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZR1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-420
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZR1
57
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low MP (10MP)
21
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
no external flash support
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography info
Panasonic ZR1 Street photography info
64
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than others in class (426g)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZR1 as a Sports photography camera
39
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
low frames per second (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
not so great battery life (500 CIPA)
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
low fps (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography information
Panasonic ZR1 Travel photography information
53
lighter than others in class (426g)
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
not so great battery life (500 CIPA)
low MP (10 megapixels)
does not have selfie friendly display
57
has built in flash
rather wide (25mm)
missing Timelapse recording
low MP (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZR1 Landscape photography information
47
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inches)
lack of image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
not so great battery life (500 shots)
missing Time Lapse recording
32
rather wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7")
manual mode not available
low MP (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging info
Panasonic ZR1 Vlogging info
9
no video recording
28
rather wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone jack
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZR1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZR1
 Olympus E-420Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-420 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1
Also Known as - Lumix DMC-ZX1
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2008-06-23 2009-07-27
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III Venus Engine V
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 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-200mm (8.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
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 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.10 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max 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), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video file 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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 426 grams (0.94 lbs) 158 grams (0.35 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 98 x 55 x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 527 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 images -
Style of battery 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 card, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Price at release $999 $280