Clicky

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS50

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 front
Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
57
Overall
45

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS50 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
  • Released June 2008
  • Old Model is Olympus E-410
Panasonic ZS50
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 243g - 111 x 65 x 34mm
  • Announced January 2015
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ70
  • Replaced the Panasonic ZS45
  • Successor is Panasonic ZS60
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS50 Overview

Following is a detailed comparison of the Olympus E-420 versus Panasonic ZS50, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the ZS50 (12MP) is very close but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and ZS50 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizes.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-420 was released 7 years earlier than the ZS50 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a complete comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-420 scores against the ZS50 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Panasonic ZS50

 E-420 ZS50 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS50 over the Olympus E-420

 ZS50 E-420 
AnnouncedJanuary 2015June 2008More modern by 79 months
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1040k230kClearer display (+810k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZS50

 E-420 ZS50 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS50 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry around your camera, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-420 comes with exterior measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS50 has sizing of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-420 versus Panasonic ZS50 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-420 against the ZS50.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS50 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and ZS50 is 77 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS50 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS50 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizes purely by looking through specifications. The pic below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and ZS50.

Plainly, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-420 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh simpler and the Panasonic ZS50 will provide you with extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos far more aggressively. The more aged E-420 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS50 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography information
Panasonic ZS50 Portrait photography information
56
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
MP count low (10 megapixels)
42
has manual focus
offers face detection focus
saves RAW files
no external flash support
low MP (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography information
Panasonic ZS50 Street photography information
64
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
lighter than competition (426 grams)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
68
has image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (243 grams)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography info
Panasonic ZS50 Sports photography info
38
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
bad battery power (500 shots)
43
long zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers tracking autofocus
low MP (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS50 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than competition (426 grams)
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
bad battery power (500 shots)
MP count low (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
66
lighter than competitors in class (243g)
built-in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
very long zoom (720mm)
low MP (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS50 as a Landscape photography camera
47
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.7")
no image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
bad battery power (500 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse mode
51
has manual focus
fairly wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
low MP (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-420
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS50
9
can't record video
34
fairly wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors in class (243g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
missing external microphone support
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZS50
 Olympus E-420Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-420 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-TZ70
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2008-06-23 2015-01-06
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 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
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dots 1,040k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,166k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.46x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.40 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 gr (0.94 lbs) 243 gr (0.54 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 111 x 65 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 44
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 20.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 11.2
DXO Low light score 527 138
Other
Battery life 500 photos 300 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $999 $350