Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX400V

Below, we are comparing the Olympus E-420 and Sony HX400V, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and HX400V (20MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and HX400V (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-420 was unveiled 6 years before the HX400V and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX400V being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going through a full comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-420 grades versus the HX400V in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Sony HX400V Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you'll have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-420 provides external 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) whilst the Sony HX400V has measurements of 130mm x 93mm x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1") with a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-420 and Sony HX400V in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using during that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-420 versus the HX400V.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and HX400V is 77 and 62 respectively.

Often, it is hard to imagine the difference between sensor measurements simply by reviewing technical specs. The visual here should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and HX400V.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-420 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony HX400V will offer more detail having an extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.