Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS7

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.

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.

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.

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

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.