Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX9
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40


95 Imaging
35 Features
40 Overall
37
Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX9 Key Specs
(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
- Earlier Model is Olympus E-410
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3.5" Fixed Display
- ISO 125 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-100mm (F3.5-4.6) lens
- 149g - 98 x 60 x 18mm
- Launched July 2010

Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX9 Overview
Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-420 versus Sony TX9, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the TX9 (12MP) is very comparable but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and TX9 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

The E-420 was brought out 24 months prior to the TX9 making them a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony TX9 being a Ultracompact camera.
Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-420 matches up versus the TX9 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX9 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-420 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Sony TX9 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony TX9
E-420 | TX9 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony TX9 over the Olympus E-420
TX9 | E-420 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | July 2010 | ![]() | June 2008 | Fresher by 24 months |
Display size | 3.5" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.8") |
Display resolution | 922k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+692k dot) |
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony TX9
E-420 | TX9 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Dial exact focusing | ||
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lack of selfie screen |
Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX9 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is intending to carry your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 has outside 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 TX9 has specifications of 98mm x 60mm x 18mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 0.7") with a weight of 149 grams (0.33 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-420 versus Sony TX9 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-420 versus the TX9.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and TX9 is 77 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX9 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, it can be tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizing simply by going through technical specs. The photograph underneath may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and TX9.
As you have seen, both cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-420 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony TX9 will show extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics way more aggressively. The older E-420 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX9 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony TX9 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-420 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 |
Class | Entry-Level DSLR | Ultracompact |
Released | 2008-06-23 | 2010-07-08 |
Body design | Compact SLR | Ultracompact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic III | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4000 x 3000 |
Highest native ISO | 1600 | 3200 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 125 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 25-100mm (4.0x) |
Maximal aperture | - | f/3.5-4.6 |
Macro focusing range | - | 1cm |
Total lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 2.7 inches | 3.5 inches |
Resolution of screen | 230k dot | 922k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 2s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shooting speed | 4.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 3.80 m |
Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/180s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (50 fps), 1440 x 1080 (50, 25fps), 1280 x 720 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps) |
Highest video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | AVCHD |
Microphone 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 | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 426 grams (0.94 lb) | 149 grams (0.33 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 98 x 60 x 18mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 0.7") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around 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 photographs | - |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | - | NP-BN1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 sec or 10 sec, portrait1/ portrait2) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage media | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/ SDHC/ SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, Internal |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at launch | $999 | $799 |