Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX55
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40


97 Imaging
38 Features
46 Overall
41
Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX55 Key Specs
(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
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3.3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 26-130mm (F3.5-4.8) lens
- 109g - 93 x 54 x 13mm
- Revealed July 2011

Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX55 Overview
In this article, we are matching up the Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX55, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and TX55 (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and TX55 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.

The E-420 was released 4 years prior to the TX55 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony TX55 being a Ultracompact camera.
Before delving in to a full comparison, below is a short view of how the E-420 scores versus the TX55 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX55 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery and Sony TX55 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony TX55
E-420 | TX55 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony TX55 over the Olympus E-420
TX55 | E-420 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | July 2011 | ![]() | June 2008 | Fresher by 37 months |
Display sizing | 3.3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.6") |
Display resolution | 1230k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper display (+1000k dot) |
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony TX55
E-420 | TX55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very exact focusing | ||
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither comes with selfie screen |
Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX55 Physical Comparison
In case you're going to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-420 comes with physical measurements 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 TX55 has measurements of 93mm x 54mm x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5") accompanied by a weight of 109 grams (0.24 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX55 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-420 vs the TX55.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and TX55 is 77 and 97 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX55 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, its hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by looking through technical specs. The photograph underneath will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and TX55.
As you have seen, each of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-420 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Sony TX55 will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older E-420 will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX55 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX55 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-420 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55 |
Type | Entry-Level DSLR | Ultracompact |
Launched | 2008-06-23 | 2011-07-24 |
Body design | Compact SLR | Ultracompact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | 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 area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10MP | 16MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4608 x 3456 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 3200 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 26-130mm (5.0x) |
Highest aperture | - | f/3.5-4.8 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 3cm |
Amount of lenses | 45 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display size | 2.7 inches | 3.3 inches |
Display resolution | 230k dot | 1,230k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Display technology | - | XtraFine OLED display |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/1600 secs |
Continuous shutter speed | 4.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 3.70 m |
Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/180 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
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 data 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 | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 426g (0.94 lb) | 109g (0.24 lb) |
Dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 93 x 54 x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 56 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.5 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.4 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 527 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 500 photos | 250 photos |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | NP-BN |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | microSD/SDHC, Memory Stick Micro |
Storage slots | One | One |
Price at release | $999 | $350 |