Olympus E-420 vs Pentax H90

In this write-up, we will be matching up the Olympus E-420 and Pentax H90, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the H90 (12MP) is pretty well matched but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and H90 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-420 was launched 19 months earlier than the H90 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax H90 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a more detailed comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-420 matches up against the H90 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-420 & Pentax Optio H90. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Pentax H90 Gallery.

In case you're going to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-420 enjoys physical measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Pentax H90 has measurements of 101mm x 65mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") with a weight of 153 grams (0.34 lbs).

See the Olympus E-420 and Pentax H90 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have during that time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-420 compared to the H90.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and H90 is 77 and 93 respectively.

Quite often, it's tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements purely by checking a spec sheet. The visual underneath should give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and H90.

Clearly, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-420 featuring a bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Pentax H90 will give you greater detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs far more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.