Olympus E-420 vs Sony A55
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40
67 Imaging
56 Features
80 Overall
65
Olympus E-420 vs Sony A55 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
- Older Model is Olympus E-410
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
- Released August 2010
- Replacement is Sony A57
Olympus E-420 vs Sony A55 Overview
In this write-up, we are evaluating the Olympus E-420 and Sony A55, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and A55 (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and A55 (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizes.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe E-420 was manufactured 3 years before the A55 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact SLR).
Before delving through a full comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-420 matches up vs the A55 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
Olympus E-420 vs Sony A55 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 & Sony SLT-A55. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony A55
E-420 | A55 |
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Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Olympus E-420
A55 | E-420 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | August 2010 | June 2008 | More recent by 26 months | |
Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating display | |
Display sizing | 3" | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") | |
Display resolution | 921k | 230k | Clearer display (+691k dot) | |
Selfie screen | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony A55
E-420 | A55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | More precise focusing | |||
Touch friendly display | No Touch friendly display |
Olympus E-420 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison
If you are looking to lug around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-420 has got 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) while the Sony A55 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-420 and Sony A55 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-420 compared to the A55.
Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and A55 is 77 and 67 respectively.
Olympus E-420 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is difficult to envision the difference between sensor measurements simply by reviewing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and A55.
As you can see, both of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-420 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh more challenging and the Sony A55 will deliver greater detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will help you crop images a little more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.
Olympus E-420 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-420 vs Sony A55 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Sony SLT-A55 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-420 | Sony SLT-A55 |
Class | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Launched | 2008-06-23 | 2010-08-24 |
Body design | Compact SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePic III | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4912 x 3264 |
Highest native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
Highest boosted ISO | - | 25600 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 15 |
Cross type focus points | - | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Number of lenses | 45 | 143 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Display diagonal | 2.7 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 230k dot | 921k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,150k dot |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | 0.73x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 4.0 frames per second | 10.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | 1/180 secs | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
Highest video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 426 grams (0.94 lbs) | 500 grams (1.10 lbs) |
Dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 56 | 73 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.5 | 23.0 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.4 | 12.4 |
DXO Low light rating | 527 | 816 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 500 pictures | 380 pictures |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Retail price | $999 | $800 |