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Olympus E-420 vs Pentax RS1500

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Pentax Optio RS1500 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
30
Overall
34

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax RS1500 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
  • Introduced June 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-410
Pentax RS1500
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Revealed March 2011
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Olympus E-420 vs Pentax RS1500 Overview

On this page, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-420 versus Pentax RS1500, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and RS1500 (14MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and RS1500 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-420 was brought out 3 years before the RS1500 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-420 grades vs the RS1500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Pentax RS1500

 E-420 RS1500 

Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Olympus E-420

 RS1500 E-420 
RevealedMarch 2011June 2008Newer by 33 months

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Pentax RS1500

 E-420 RS1500 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions2.7"2.7"Equal screen measurements
Screen resolution230k230kIdentical screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax RS1500 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to travel with your camera, you'll have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 has got outer 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) while the Pentax RS1500 has specifications of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-420 versus Pentax RS1500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen during that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-420 and the RS1500.

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax RS1500 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and RS1500 is 77 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax RS1500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax RS1500 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions just by looking through specs. The image underneath should provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and RS1500.

All in all, both of those cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-420 featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Pentax RS1500 will render greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-420 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax RS1500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax RS1500 as a Portrait photography camera
56
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
MP count low (10 megapixels)
35
focusing manually
good megapixels (14MP)
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography advice
Pentax RS1500 Street photography advice
64
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lighter than average (426g)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
54
environment proof
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography features
Pentax RS1500 Sports photography features
38
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect AF
max frames per second low (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
not so great battery life (500 shots)
37
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proof
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-420
Travel photography with Pentax RS1500
52
lighter than average (426g)
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse mode
not so great battery life (500 CIPA)
MP count low (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
67
environment proof
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
does not have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography information
Pentax RS1500 Landscape photography information
47
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
small screen (2.7")
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
not so great battery life (500 per charge)
does not have Timelapse mode
40
focusing manually
quite wide (28mm)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
environment proof
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7")
manual exposure not available
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging info
Pentax RS1500 Vlogging info
9
no video shooting
25
quite wide (28mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not have a selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external mic support
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Olympus E-420 vs Pentax RS1500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Pentax RS1500
 Olympus E-420Pentax Optio RS1500
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-420 Pentax Optio RS1500
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2008-06-23 2011-03-16
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III -
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 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1500s
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.90 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported 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 support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 426 gr (0.94 lbs) 157 gr (0.35 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 260 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $999 $150