Olympus E-420 vs Sony NEX-7
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
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84 Imaging
63 Features
71 Overall
66
Olympus E-420 vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs
(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
- Announced June 2008
- Earlier Model is Olympus E-410
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 16000
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
- Released December 2011
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Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-420 versus Sony NEX-7, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and NEX-7 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizing.
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsThe E-420 was unveiled 4 years earlier than the NEX-7 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-420 grades against the NEX-7 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 & Sony Alpha NEX-7. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Sony NEX-7 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony NEX-7
| E-420 | NEX-7 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Olympus E-420
| NEX-7 | E-420 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | December 2011 | June 2008 | More modern by 42 months | |
| Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display | |
| Display size | 3" | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") | |
| Display resolution | 921k | 230k | Clearer display (+691k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony NEX-7
| E-420 | NEX-7 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually | Dial precise focus | |||
| Selfie screen | Lacking selfie screen | |||
| Touch display | Lacking Touch display |
Olympus E-420 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison
If you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 offers 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 NEX-7 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-420 versus Sony NEX-7 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-420 and the NEX-7.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and NEX-7 is 77 and 84 respectively.
Olympus E-420 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it's tough to see the difference between sensor sizes just by reviewing specifications. The picture here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and NEX-7.
Plainly, both the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-420 using its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh tougher and the Sony NEX-7 will deliver extra detail having an extra 14MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.
Olympus E-420 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-420 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications
| Olympus E-420 | Sony Alpha NEX-7 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus E-420 | Sony Alpha NEX-7 |
| Category | Entry-Level DSLR | Advanced Mirrorless |
| Announced | 2008-06-23 | 2011-12-13 |
| Physical type | Compact SLR | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | 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 surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 10MP | 24MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Peak resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 6000 x 4000 |
| Highest native ISO | 1600 | 16000 |
| Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Autofocus touch | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detect focus | ||
| Contract detect focus | ||
| Phase detect focus | ||
| Total focus points | 3 | 25 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
| Number of lenses | 45 | 121 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
| Display sizing | 2.7 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of display | 230 thousand dots | 921 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch function | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic |
| Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | 0.73x |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
| Continuous shutter rate | 4.0 frames per sec | 10.0 frames per sec |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 6.00 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AEB | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Fastest flash synchronize | 1/180s | 1/160s |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
| Video file format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
| Mic support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
| 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 grams (0.94 lbs) | 400 grams (0.88 lbs) |
| Physical dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall rating | 56 | 81 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 21.5 | 24.1 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.4 | 13.4 |
| DXO Low light rating | 527 | 1016 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 500 shots | 430 shots |
| Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | - | NPFW50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images)) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Card slots | 1 | 1 |
| Pricing at release | $999 | $699 |