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Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
46
Overall
41

Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V 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
  • Launched June 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-410
Sony HX9V
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 245g - 105 x 59 x 34mm
  • Released July 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and HX9V (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and HX9V (1/2.3") posses different sensor size.

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The E-420 was launched 4 years earlier than the HX9V and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX9V being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a full comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-420 matches up versus the HX9V in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony HX9V

 E-420 HX9V 

Reasons to pick Sony HX9V over the Olympus E-420

 HX9V E-420 
ReleasedJuly 2011June 2008Fresher by 37 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony HX9V

 E-420 HX9V 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 features 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 HX9V has dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-420 and the HX9V.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and HX9V is 77 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by checking out technical specs. The graphic below will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and HX9V.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-420 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony HX9V will provide more detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos more aggressively. The older E-420 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony HX9V as a Portrait photography camera
56
you can focus manually
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
39
you can focus manually
good resolution (16MP)
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-420
Street photography with Sony HX9V
64
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competitors (426g)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
61
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (245 grams)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography advice
Sony HX9V Sports photography advice
38
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
low battery life (500 per charge)
44
great zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Travel photography camera
Sony HX9V as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than competitors (426 grams)
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low battery life (500 CIPA)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
69
lighter than others (245g)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (24mm)
long zoom (384mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
does not feature selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography details
Sony HX9V Landscape photography details
47
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
low battery life (500 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
49
you can focus manually
quite wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging factors
Sony HX9V Vlogging factors
9
can't shoot video
33
quite wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others (245g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not feature selfie friendly display
lack of external mic jack
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Olympus E-420 vs Sony HX9V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Sony HX9V
 Olympus E-420Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-420 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2008-06-23 2011-07-19
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-384mm (16.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Number of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - XtraFine LCD display with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426g (0.94 pounds) 245g (0.54 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 105 x 59 x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 527 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 photos -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model - NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $999 $328