Clicky

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX100 II

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
74
Overall
60

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX100 II Key Specs

Olympus E-420
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 426g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Released June 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-410
Sony RX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
  • Announced June 2013
  • Old Model is Sony RX100
  • Replacement is Sony RX100 III
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX100 II Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-420 and Sony RX100 II, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and RX100 II (1") posses totally different sensor sizing.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-420 was released 6 years earlier than the RX100 II which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a in depth comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-420 grades vs the RX100 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony RX100 II

 E-420 RX100 II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Olympus E-420

 RX100 II E-420 
AnnouncedJune 2013June 2008More modern by 61 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1229k230kClearer screen (+999k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony RX100 II

 E-420 RX100 II 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX100 II Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry around your camera, you should consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 provides outer measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Sony RX100 II has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-420 and Sony RX100 II in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the E-420 against the RX100 II.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX100 II size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and RX100 II is 77 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX100 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX100 II Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is difficult to see the gap between sensor sizes merely by looking at specifications. The pic underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and RX100 II.

Plainly, both the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-420 because of its bigger sensor will make achieving bokeh easier and the Sony RX100 II will give you more detail as a result of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX100 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX100 II Portrait photography advice
56
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low MP (10MP)
70
has manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
provides face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography advice
Sony RX100 II Street photography advice
64
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
lighter than competitors (426 grams)
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
supports RAW formats
lighter than others (281 grams)
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-420
Sports photography with Sony RX100 II
38
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
max frames per second low (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
not so great battery pack (500 shots)
67
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
provides tracking focus
great battery pack (350 per charge)
no phase detect autofocus
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography information
Sony RX100 II Travel photography information
52
lighter than competitors (426g)
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
not so great battery pack (500 shots)
low MP (10MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
80
great battery pack (350 per charge)
lighter than others (281 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
flash built-in
really wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography advice
Sony RX100 II Landscape photography advice
47
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
small screen (2.7 inch)
no image stabilization
low MP (10 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (500 shots)
lack of Time Lapse recording
74
has manual focus
really wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
supports RAW formats
great battery pack (350 shots)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX100 II as a Vlogging camera
9
no video
37
really wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others (281 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have microphone jack
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX100 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Sony RX100 II
 Olympus E-420Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-420 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
Class Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Released 2008-06-23 2013-06-27
Body design Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias 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
Minimum native ISO 100 160
RAW support
Minimum enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Maximal aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W))
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 426 grams (0.94 lbs) 281 grams (0.62 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 56 67
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 12.4
DXO Low light rating 527 483
Other
Battery life 500 shots 350 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (10 sec. / 2 sec. / Self-portrait One-person/ Self-portrait Two-person/ Self timer Continuous (3 or 5 shots))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at release $999 $598