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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Sony SLT-A99 front
Portability
57
Imaging
68
Features
88
Overall
76

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99 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
  • Introduced June 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-410
Sony A99
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 812g - 147 x 111 x 78mm
  • Revealed December 2012
  • Superseded the Sony A900
  • Later Model is Sony A99 II
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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99 Overview

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and A99 (24MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and A99 (Full frame) boast different sensor size.

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The E-420 was released 5 years before the A99 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-420 matches up against the A99 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Sony A99

 E-420 A99 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 over the Olympus E-420

 A99 E-420 
RevealedDecember 2012June 2008More modern by 54 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1229k230kClearer display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Sony A99

 E-420 A99 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-420 provides outer 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 A99 has measurements of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-420 and the A99.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and A99 is 77 and 57 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizes only by checking out a spec sheet. The pic below might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and A99.

Clearly, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-420 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A99 will provide greater detail as a result of its extra 14MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The more aged E-420 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography features
Sony A99 Portrait photography features
56
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
80
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
has face detect focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography info
Sony A99 Street photography info
64
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
lighter than competitors (426g)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
75
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
good high ISO (25,600)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A99 as a Sports photography camera
38
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect AF
slow fps (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (500 shots)
77
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking focus
weather sealing
has phase detect auto focus
bad battery (500 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography details
Sony A99 Travel photography details
52
lighter than competitors (426g)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse mode
terrible battery pack (500 shots)
low resolution sensor (10MP)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
60
weather sealing
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
missing Timelapse recording
bad battery (500 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography features
Sony A99 Landscape photography features
47
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
tiny screen (2.7")
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (500 shots)
no Time Lapse mode
74
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
has dual storage slots
bad battery (500 CIPA)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging highlights
Sony A99 Vlogging highlights
9
can't shoot video
76
screen is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has microphone jack
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Olympus E-420 vs Sony A99 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Sony A99
 Olympus E-420Sony SLT-A99
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-420 Sony SLT-A99
Category Entry-Level DSLR Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2008-06-23 2012-12-12
Body design Compact SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 1600 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 3 19
Cross type focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 45 143
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 2.7" 3"
Screen resolution 230k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.71x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 pounds) 812 grams (1.79 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 147 x 111 x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 89
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 25.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 14.0
DXO Low light rating 527 1555
Other
Battery life 500 photos 500 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC
Storage slots One Dual
Pricing at launch $999 $1,998