Olympus E-420 vs Sony S980

Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-420 and Sony S980, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the S980 (12MP) is relatively close but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and S980 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The E-420 was introduced 7 months earlier than the S980 so they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a full comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-420 grades against the S980 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-420 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Sony S980 Gallery.

If you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 offers outer measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Sony S980 has specifications of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-420 and Sony S980 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the E-420 compared to the S980.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and S980 is 77 and 94 respectively.

Usually, it's tough to see the contrast in sensor sizing only by researching a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and S980.

As you can see, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-420 using its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Sony S980 will render greater detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older E-420 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.