Clicky

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III front
Portability
53
Imaging
52
Features
77
Overall
62

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III 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
  • Introduced June 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-410
Sony RX10 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-600mm (F2.4-4.0) lens
  • 1051g - 133 x 94 x 127mm
  • Introduced March 2016
  • Old Model is Sony RX10 II
  • Replacement is Sony RX10 IV
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III Overview

Following is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and RX10 III (20MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and RX10 III (1") have totally different sensor sizing.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-420 was introduced 8 years prior to the RX10 III which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX10 III being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving into a complete comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-420 grades versus the RX10 III for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony RX10 III

 E-420 RX10 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 III over the Olympus E-420

 RX10 III E-420 
IntroducedMarch 2016June 2008More modern by 94 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1229k230kCrisper screen (+999k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony RX10 III

 E-420 RX10 III 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 enjoys external measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Sony RX10 III has dimensions of 133mm x 94mm x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0") and a weight of 1051 grams (2.32 lbs).

See the Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the E-420 versus the RX10 III.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and RX10 III is 77 and 53 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be difficult to see the difference between sensor sizes simply by looking at specifications. The pic below might provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and RX10 III.

Plainly, both of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-420 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony RX10 III will give you more detail using its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX10 III as a Portrait photography camera
56
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
71
focusing manually
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
provides face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography highlights
Sony RX10 III Street photography highlights
64
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition (426 grams)
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
64
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
heavier than competition (1,051 grams)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX10 III as a Sports photography camera
38
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
low frames per second (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
low battery life (500 CIPA)
70
excellent zoom range (24-600mm 25.0 x zoom)
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
provides tracking focus
environment sealing
great battery life (420 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect AF
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography information
Sony RX10 III Travel photography information
52
lighter than competition (426 grams)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse function
low battery life (500 shots)
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
55
great battery life (420 shots)
environment sealing
good resolution (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
long zoom (600mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition (1,051 grams)
does not offer selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f2.4)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX10 III as a Landscape photography camera
47
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10MP)
low battery life (500 shots)
does not have Timelapse function
63
focusing manually
fairly wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
great battery life (420 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.4)
does not have Time Lapse mode
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging factors
Sony RX10 III Vlogging factors
9
can't record video
28
fairly wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes mic support
sluggish max aperture (f2.4)
does not offer selfie friendly display
heavier than competition (1,051 grams)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX10 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Sony RX10 III
 Olympus E-420Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-420 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
Type Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2008-06-23 2016-03-29
Physical type Compact SLR SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Maximum enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW format
Lowest enhanced ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-600mm (25.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.4-4.0
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per sec 14.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 10.80 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution None 3840x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 gr (0.94 pounds) 1051 gr (2.32 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 133 x 94 x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 70
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 23.1
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 12.6
DXO Low light score 527 472
Other
Battery life 500 photos 420 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail cost $999 $1,398