Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Here, we are looking at the Olympus E-420 versus Pentax K-5 IIs, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and K-5 IIs (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and K-5 IIs (APS-C) boast totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-420 was revealed 6 years prior to the K-5 IIs which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-420 grades versus the K-5 IIs in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-420 and Pentax K-5 IIs. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-420 Gallery and Pentax K-5 IIs Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-420 provides external dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 IIs has sizing of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-420 versus Pentax K-5 IIs in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-420 against the K-5 IIs.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and K-5 IIs is 77 and 60 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to envision the difference between sensor sizes purely by looking at a spec sheet. The pic here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and K-5 IIs.

As you can see, the 2 cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-420 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Pentax K-5 IIs will give extra detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images way more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.