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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A57

Portability
77
Imaging
45
Features
36
Overall
41
Olympus E-420 front
 
Sony SLT-A57 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
85
Overall
68

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A57 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
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-410
Sony A57
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 618g - 132 x 98 x 81mm
  • Announced September 2012
  • Replaced the Sony A55
  • Newer Model is Sony A58
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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A57 Overview

Here is a complete comparison of the Olympus E-420 versus Sony A57, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and A57 (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and A57 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The E-420 was released 5 years before the A57 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before delving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-420 matches up against the A57 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony A57

 E-420 A57 

Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Olympus E-420

 A57 E-420 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012June 2008Fresher by 51 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony A57

 E-420 A57 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Touch display Neither has Touch display

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 has outer measurements 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 A57 has dimensions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") having a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-420 versus Sony A57 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-420 and the A57.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A57 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and A57 is 77 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A57 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizing purely by reading specifications. The photograph below will give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and A57.

Plainly, both the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-420 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony A57 will offer extra detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics much more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A57 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A57 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography features
Sony A57 Portrait photography features
57
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
MP count low (10MP)
74
focusing manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography highlights
Sony A57 Street photography highlights
64
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (426g)
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
75
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography details
Sony A57 Sports photography details
39
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
low battery life (500 shots)
78
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
sensor has phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A57 as a Travel photography camera
53
lighter than competitors in class (426 grams)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse mode
low battery life (500 per charge)
MP count low (10MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
67
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
missing Timelapse function
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography details
Sony A57 Landscape photography details
47
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
low battery life (500 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
72
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging information
Sony A57 Vlogging information
9
can't record video
77
display is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes microphone support
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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A57 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Sony A57
 Olympus E-420Sony SLT-A57
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-420 Sony SLT-A57
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2008-06-23 2012-09-13
Physical type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 1600 16000
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 3 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 45 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 4.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 gr (0.94 pounds) 618 gr (1.36 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 75
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 23.4
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 13.0
DXO Low light score 527 785
Other
Battery life 500 photographs 550 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Price at release $999 $1,000