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Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2

Portability
77
Imaging
45
Features
36
Overall
41
Olympus E-420 front
 
Pentax K-S2 front
Portability
64
Imaging
64
Features
82
Overall
71

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2 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
  • Revealed June 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-410
Pentax K-S2
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 678g - 123 x 91 x 73mm
  • Released February 2015
  • Superseded the Pentax K-S1
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2 Overview

In this write-up, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and K-S2 (20MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and K-S2 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-420 was unveiled 7 years prior to the K-S2 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before delving in to a detailed comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the E-420 grades versus the K-S2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Pentax K-S2

 E-420 K-S2 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-S2 over the Olympus E-420

 K-S2 E-420 
ReleasedFebruary 2015June 2008Fresher by 80 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Pentax K-S2

 E-420 K-S2 
Manually focus More exact focus
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry your camera regularly, you need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-420 provides exterior measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Pentax K-S2 has sizing of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") having a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at the time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the E-420 vs the K-S2.

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and K-S2 is 77 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizing merely by looking at specs. The photograph below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and K-S2.

As you can plainly see, both cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-420 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Pentax K-S2 will resolve greater detail having an extra 10MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography factors
Pentax K-S2 Portrait photography factors
57
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10MP)
78
focusing manually
MP count good (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-420
Street photography with Pentax K-S2
64
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lighter than others in class (426g)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
72
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
good high ISO (51,200)
heavier than others in class (678g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography features
Pentax K-S2 Sports photography features
39
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
terrible battery power (500 per charge)
70
max shutter speed is good (1/6,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (20MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
environment sealing
sensor has phase detect AF
max frames per second very slow (5.4 fps)
low battery power (410 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography factors
Pentax K-S2 Travel photography factors
53
lighter than others in class (426 grams)
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse function
terrible battery power (500 per charge)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
65
environment sealing
MP count good (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
low battery power (410 per charge)
heavier than others in class (678g)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax K-S2 Landscape photography highlights
47
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
terrible battery power (500 shots)
does not have Timelapse function
77
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
does not have low pass filter
good high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
low battery power (410 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-420
Vlogging with Pentax K-S2
9
no video
71
selfie friendly display
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes mic jack
heavier than others in class (678 grams)
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Olympus E-420 vs Pentax K-S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Pentax K-S2
 Olympus E-420Pentax K-S2
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-420 Pentax K-S2
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2008-06-23 2015-02-10
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III PRIME MII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 1600 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 45 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames/s 5.4 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on, flash on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual flash
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 426 gr (0.94 lbs) 678 gr (1.49 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 123 x 91 x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 527 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 pictures 410 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI109
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Retail price $999 $581