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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7

Portability
77
Imaging
45
Features
36
Overall
41
Olympus E-420 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 front
Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
33
Overall
34

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 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
  • Announced June 2008
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-410
Panasonic ZS7
(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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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 
IntroducedJuly 2011June 2008More recent by 37 months
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZS7

 E-420 ZS7 
Screen typeFixed 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and ZS7 is 77 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 top view buttons comparison

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.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography info
Panasonic ZS7 Portrait photography info
57
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
21
manual focus not available
no external flash support
MP count low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography information
Panasonic ZS7 Street photography information
64
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition in class (426 grams)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (218g)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZS7 as a Sports photography camera
39
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
slow frames per second (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
low battery life (500 CIPA)
28
built in image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography details
Panasonic ZS7 Travel photography details
53
lighter than competition in class (426g)
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
low battery life (500 per charge)
megapixel count low (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
63
lighter than others (218g)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
long zoom (300mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
MP count low (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZS7 Landscape photography information
47
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
low battery life (500 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse recording
38
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-420
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS7
9
lack of video recording
30
reasonably wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (218 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of mic support
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZS7
 Olympus E-420Panasonic 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