Olympus E-420 vs Ricoh GR II

Here, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-420 and Ricoh GR II, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Ricoh. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and GR II (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and GR II (APS-C) posses different sensor sizing.

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The E-420 was introduced 8 years before the GR II which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Ricoh GR II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-420 grades vs the GR II with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-420 & Ricoh GR II. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Ricoh GR II Gallery.

In case you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 provides external dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Ricoh GR II has specifications of 117mm x 63mm x 35mm (4.6" x 2.5" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-420 and Ricoh GR II in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-420 compared to the GR II.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and GR II is 77 and 89 respectively.

Usually, it is difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes purely by researching specs. The picture below will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and GR II.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-420 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Ricoh GR II will result in greater detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-420 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.