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Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Pentax Optio I-10 front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
24
Overall
30

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10 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
  • Released June 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-410
Pentax I-10
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 153g - 101 x 65 x 28mm
  • Released January 2010
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Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10 Overview

On this page, we will be comparing the Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the I-10 (12MP) is pretty similar but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and I-10 (1/2.3") offer different sensor size.

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The E-420 was launched 19 months prior to the I-10 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax I-10 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-420 scores versus the I-10 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Pentax I-10

 E-420 I-10 

Reasons to pick Pentax I-10 over the Olympus E-420

 I-10 E-420 
ReleasedJanuary 2010June 2008More recent by 19 months

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Pentax I-10

 E-420 I-10 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions2.7"2.7"Equal screen size
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 comes with exterior measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Pentax I-10 has specifications of 101mm x 65mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") and a weight of 153 grams (0.34 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-420 vs the I-10.

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and I-10 is 77 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's hard to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements just by reading specs. The graphic underneath should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and I-10.

All in all, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-420 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Pentax I-10 will offer greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-420
Portrait photography with Pentax I-10
56
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (10MP)
27
manual focus
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Street photography camera
Pentax I-10 as a Street photography camera
64
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition (426g)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
56
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen does not articulate
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax I-10 as a Sports photography camera
38
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
low fps (4.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
bad battery pack (500 CIPA)
31
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking focus
low frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
low MP (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-420
Travel photography with Pentax I-10
52
lighter than competition (426g)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (500 shots)
megapixel count low (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
57
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
low MP (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography information
Pentax I-10 Landscape photography information
47
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7")
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
bad battery pack (500 per charge)
does not have Timelapse recording
36
manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
lack of manual mode
low MP (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging details
Pentax I-10 Vlogging details
9
no video shooting
28
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of mic socket
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Olympus E-420 vs Pentax I-10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Pentax I-10
 Olympus E-420Pentax Optio I-10
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-420 Pentax Optio I-10
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Released 2008-06-23 2010-01-25
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Prime
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focus range - 10cm
Available lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.00 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426g (0.94 lb) 153g (0.34 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 101 x 65 x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1")
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 photographs -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $999 $310