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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A300

Portability
77
Imaging
45
Features
36
Overall
41
Olympus E-420 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 front
Portability
64
Imaging
50
Features
45
Overall
48

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A300 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
  • Released June 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-410
Sony A300
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 131 x 99 x 75mm
  • Announced January 2008
  • Renewed by Sony A330
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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A300 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-420 and Sony A300, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the A300 (10MP) is fairly close but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and A300 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor size.

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The E-420 was manufactured 5 months after the A300 so they are of a similar age. Both cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-420 matches up against the A300 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony A300

 E-420 A300 

Reasons to pick Sony A300 over the Olympus E-420

 A300 E-420 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony A300

 E-420 A300 
AnnouncedJune 2008January 2008Same age
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Display dimensions2.7"2.7"Equal display size
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A300 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-420 has 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) and the Sony A300 has proportions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-420 and Sony A300 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the E-420 versus the A300.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A300 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and A300 is 77 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A300 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very hard to envision the difference in sensor dimensions merely by viewing specs. The pic underneath will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and A300.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have the same megapixel count but not the same sensor dimensions. The E-420 contains the smaller sensor which is going to make obtaining shallower DOF harder.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A300 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography factors
Sony A300 Portrait photography factors
57
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
resolution not great (10MP)
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
MP count low (10MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography factors
Sony A300 Street photography factors
64
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than others in class (426 grams)
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
74
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography details
Sony A300 Sports photography details
39
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second low (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
bad battery life (500 per charge)
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
MP count low (10MP)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography info
Sony A300 Travel photography info
53
lighter than others in class (426 grams)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse mode
bad battery life (500 per charge)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
45
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
MP count low (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-420
Landscape photography with Sony A300
47
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is small (2.7")
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (10MP)
bad battery life (500 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse mode
57
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
MP count low (10MP)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A300 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't shoot video
9
can't record video
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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Sony A300
 Olympus E-420Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-420 Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2008-06-23 2008-01-30
Physical type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 45 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7" 2.7"
Resolution of display 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.49x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Highest video resolution None None
Microphone 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 gr (0.94 pounds) 632 gr (1.39 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 131 x 99 x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 64
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 22.5
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 11.4
DXO Low light score 527 538
Other
Battery life 500 shots -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Compact Flash
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $999 $0