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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A450

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A450 front
Portability
65
Imaging
54
Features
52
Overall
53

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A450 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
  • Launched June 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-410
Sony A450
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 560g - 137 x 104 x 81mm
  • Announced January 2010
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A450 Overview

Below is a detailed overview of the Olympus E-420 and Sony A450, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and A450 (14MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and A450 (APS-C) have different sensor size.

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The E-420 was announced 18 months before the A450 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before delving into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-420 grades versus the A450 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony A450

 E-420 A450 

Reasons to pick Sony A450 over the Olympus E-420

 A450 E-420 
AnnouncedJanuary 2010June 2008More recent by 18 months

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony A450

 E-420 A450 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions2.7"2.7"Equal screen size
Screen resolution230k230kIdentical screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Lack of Touch screen

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A450 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to lug around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 comes with outer measurements 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 Sony A450 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.2") along with a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-420 and Sony A450 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-420 vs the A450.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A450 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and A450 is 77 and 65 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A450 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A450 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is difficult to picture the difference in sensor measurements simply by looking through technical specs. The visual below may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and A450.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-420 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A450 will provide you with extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-420 will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A450 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A450 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A450 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography details
Sony A450 Portrait photography details
56
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
MP count low (10 megapixels)
72
manual focus
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography advice
Sony A450 Street photography advice
64
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than others in class (426 grams)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-420
Sports photography with Sony A450
38
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
max frames per second low (4.0 fps)
no image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
terrible battery pack (500 CIPA)
77
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
good battery power (1,050 shots)
comes with phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A450 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than others in class (426g)
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse recording
terrible battery pack (500 CIPA)
MP count low (10MP)
does not have selfie friendly screen
60
good battery power (1,050 per charge)
resolution is good (14MP)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography details
Sony A450 Landscape photography details
47
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
no image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (500 per charge)
missing Time Lapse recording
66
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
good battery power (1,050 per charge)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A450 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video recording
9
can't record video
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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A450 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Sony A450
 Olympus E-420Sony Alpha DSLR-A450
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-420 Sony Alpha DSLR-A450
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2008-06-23 2010-01-05
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 45 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology - TFT Clear Photo Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.53x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Fill, Rear Sync, Slow Sync, Wireless/ High Speed Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Max video resolution None None
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 426 grams (0.94 pounds) 560 grams (1.23 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 137 x 104 x 81mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 66
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 21.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 11.8
DXO Low light rating 527 769
Other
Battery life 500 pictures 1050 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $999 $1,241