Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS15
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40
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92 Imaging
36 Features
37 Overall
36
Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS15 Key Specs
(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
- Superseded the Olympus E-410
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
- 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
- Announced June 2012
- Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ25
- Renewed by Panasonic ZS20
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS15 Overview
Let's examine more in depth at the Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS15, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the ZS15 (12MP) is relatively close but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and ZS15 (1/2.3") use different sensor size.
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The E-420 was introduced 5 years earlier than the ZS15 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.
Before diving in to a complete comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-420 grades versus the ZS15 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS15 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery and Panasonic ZS15 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Panasonic ZS15
E-420 | ZS15 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very precise focus |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Olympus E-420
ZS15 | E-420 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | June 2012 | ![]() | June 2008 | More modern by 48 months |
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+230k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZS15
E-420 | ZS15 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither provides selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither provides Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS15 Physical Comparison
In case you're planning to carry around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-420 provides physical dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS15 has sizing of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS15 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-420 versus the ZS15.
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Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and ZS15 is 77 and 92 respectively.
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS15 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, its tough to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes merely by looking through a spec sheet. The picture below may offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and ZS15.
Clearly, each of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-420 with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic ZS15 will result in extra detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged E-420 will be behind in sensor tech.
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS15 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus E-420 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 |
Alternative name | - | Lumix DMC-TZ25 |
Category | Entry-Level DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Launched | 2008-06-23 | 2012-06-29 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic III | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4000 x 3000 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 6400 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 24-384mm (16.0x) |
Maximal aperture | - | f/3.3-5.9 |
Macro focus range | - | 3cm |
Amount of lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 2.7 inches | 3 inches |
Display resolution | 230 thousand dots | 460 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60s | 15s |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shooting rate | 4.0fps | 2.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 6.40 m |
Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/180s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Mic 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 proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 426 gr (0.94 lb) | 208 gr (0.46 lb) |
Dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around 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 photos | 260 photos |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at launch | $999 | $279 |