Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX10V

In this article, we are evaluating the Olympus E-420 and Sony HX10V, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and HX10V (18MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and HX10V (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-420 was brought out 4 years prior to the HX10V and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX10V being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-420 grades vs the HX10V in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Sony HX10V Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 enjoys 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) while the Sony HX10V has specifications of 105mm x 60mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 234 grams (0.52 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-420 and Sony HX10V in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the E-420 compared to the HX10V.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and HX10V is 77 and 91 respectively.

Typically, it is very hard to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing only by seeing a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and HX10V.

As you can see, both of those cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-420 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony HX10V will show extra detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a little more aggressively. The older E-420 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.