Olympus E-420 vs Sony W510

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-420 vs Sony W510, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the W510 (12MP) is fairly similar but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and W510 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizes.

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The E-420 was launched 3 years before the W510 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W510 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-420 scores versus the W510 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Sony W510 Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 provides exterior dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Sony W510 has dimensions of 96mm x 54mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-420 vs Sony W510 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select during that time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-420 compared to the W510.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and W510 is 77 and 96 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions just by reading technical specs. The pic below may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and W510.

As you have seen, the two cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-420 due to its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony W510 will offer greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.