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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A500

Portability
77
Imaging
45
Features
36
Overall
41
Olympus E-420 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A500 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
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-410
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Launched August 2009
  • Later Model is Sony A560
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A500 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-420 versus Sony A500, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the A500 (12MP) is very similar but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and A500 (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-420 was released 14 months prior to the A500 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-420 grades versus the A500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony A500

 E-420 A500 

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus E-420

 A500 E-420 
LaunchedAugust 2009June 2008Newer by 14 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony A500

 E-420 A500 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Display resolution230k230kSame display resolution
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch display Absent Touch display

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to travel with your camera often, you should factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 has got outside dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-420 versus Sony A500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-420 compared to the A500.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and A500 is 77 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be difficult to see the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reading technical specs. The image here will provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and A500.

As you have seen, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-420 featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A500 will offer extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography advice
Sony A500 Portrait photography advice
57
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
63
has manual focus
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
low resolution (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography features
Sony A500 Street photography features
64
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lighter than average in class (426g)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
74
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography highlights
Sony A500 Sports photography highlights
39
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
low fps (4.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
low battery (500 per charge)
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low frames per second (5.0 frames/s)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
low battery life (520 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography info
Sony A500 Travel photography info
53
lighter than average in class (426g)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse function
low battery (500 per charge)
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
43
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
low battery life (520 per charge)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A500 Landscape photography highlights
47
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
low battery (500 shots)
lack of Timelapse function
60
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
low resolution (12 megapixels)
low battery life (520 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging factors
Sony A500 Vlogging factors
9
no video shooting
9
no video recording
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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Sony A500
 Olympus E-420Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-420 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2008-06-23 2009-08-27
Physical type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 4272 x 2848
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 45 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 4.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Highest video resolution None None
Mic port
Headphone port
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 grams (0.94 lb) 630 grams (1.39 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 64
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 11.6
DXO Low light score 527 772
Other
Battery life 500 pictures 520 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
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, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Retail pricing $999 $638