Clicky

Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37

Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50 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
  • Announced June 2008
  • Old Model is Olympus E-410
Sony WX50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 117g - 92 x 52 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2012
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50 Overview

In this write-up, we are reviewing the Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and WX50 (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and WX50 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor size.

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

The E-420 was introduced 4 years earlier than the WX50 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony WX50 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a complete comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the E-420 grades against the WX50 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony WX50

 E-420 WX50 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus

Reasons to pick Sony WX50 over the Olympus E-420

 WX50 E-420 
AnnouncedJanuary 2012June 2008More recent by 43 months
Display resolution461k230kSharper display (+231k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony WX50

 E-420 WX50 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing2.7"2.7"Equivalent display size
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch display Neither features Touch display

Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to lug around your camera often, you have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 enjoys physical dimensions 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 WX50 has dimensions of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-420 versus the WX50.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and WX50 is 77 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is difficult to see the difference between sensor measurements only by checking technical specs. The photograph below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and WX50.

As you have seen, the two cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-420 using its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony WX50 will give greater detail using its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images far more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography details
Sony WX50 Portrait photography details
56
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low MP (10MP)
34
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
features face detection focus
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Street photography camera
Sony WX50 as a Street photography camera
64
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition (426g)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (117 grams)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography advice
Sony WX50 Sports photography advice
38
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
bad battery power (500 CIPA)
44
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
features tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-420
Travel photography with Sony WX50
52
lighter than competition (426g)
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
bad battery power (500 shots)
low MP (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
69
lighter than competition in class (117 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.6)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony WX50 as a Landscape photography camera
47
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inches)
does not have image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
bad battery power (500 shots)
missing Time Lapse mode
38
pretty wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.6)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual mode not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
lack of Time Lapse recording
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging information
Sony WX50 Vlogging information
9
lack of video recording
35
pretty wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (117 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.6)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of external mic support
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus E-420 vs Sony WX50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Sony WX50
 Olympus E-420Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-420 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50
Type Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2008-06-23 2012-01-30
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.6-6.3
Macro focus range - 5cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 461 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology - Clearfoto TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.30 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 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), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 gr (0.94 pounds) 117 gr (0.26 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 92 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 527 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 photos 240 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $999 $250