Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40
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91 Imaging
35 Features
33 Overall
34
Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 Key Specs
(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
- Announced June 2008
- Previous Model is Olympus E-410
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
- 218g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
- Introduced July 2011
- Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ10
- Refreshed by Panasonic ZS8
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 Overview
On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-420 versus Panasonic ZS7, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the ZS7 (12MP) is pretty close but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and ZS7 (1/2.3") boast different sensor dimensions.
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The E-420 was released 4 years earlier than the ZS7 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS7 being a Compact camera.
Before getting right into a complete comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-420 scores against the ZS7 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-420 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Panasonic ZS7 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Panasonic ZS7
E-420 | ZS7 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More precise focusing |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS7 over the Olympus E-420
ZS7 | E-420 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | July 2011 | ![]() | June 2008 | More recent by 37 months |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+230k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZS7
E-420 | ZS7 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither includes selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither includes Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 Physical Comparison
For those who are aiming to lug around your camera often, you will have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-420 features physical dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS7 has measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).
Look at the Olympus E-420 versus Panasonic ZS7 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using during that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-420 vs the ZS7.
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Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and ZS7 is 77 and 91 respectively.
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it is very tough to imagine the gap in sensor measurements simply by researching a spec sheet. The visual here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and ZS7.
As you can see, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-420 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic ZS7 will result in more detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older E-420 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 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 ZS7 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus E-420 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 |
Also called as | - | Lumix DMC-TZ10 |
Type | Entry-Level DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Announced | 2008-06-23 | 2011-07-19 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic III | Venus Engine HD II |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10MP | 12MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4000 x 3000 |
Highest native ISO | 1600 | 6400 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | 11 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 25-300mm (12.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.3-4.9 |
Macro focus distance | - | 3cm |
Available lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 2.7 inches | 3 inches |
Screen resolution | 230 thousand dots | 460 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 60s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shooting rate | 4.0fps | 2.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 5.30 m |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash synchronize | 1/180s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
Video file format | - | AVCHD Lite |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 426g (0.94 lb) | 218g (0.48 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" 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 images | - |
Battery style | Battery Pack | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch cost | $999 | $350 |