Olympus E-420 vs Sony H300

In this write-up, we are evaluating the Olympus E-420 versus Sony H300, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and H300 (20MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and H300 (1/2.3") possess different sensor dimensions.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The E-420 was launched 6 years earlier than the H300 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony H300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-420 scores vs the H300 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-420 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery and Sony H300 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 provides physical 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) and the Sony H300 has dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 122mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.8") and a weight of 590 grams (1.30 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-420 versus Sony H300 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have during that time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-420 compared to the H300.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and H300 is 77 and 63 respectively.

Sometimes, it's difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizing merely by reading specs. The photograph below will provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and H300.

All in all, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-420 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony H300 will offer you more detail utilizing its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images far more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.