Olympus E-420 vs Zeiss ZX1
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
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67 Imaging
78 Features
62 Overall
71
Olympus E-420 vs Zeiss ZX1 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
- Introduced June 2008
- Previous Model is Olympus E-410
(Full Review)
- 37MP - Full frame Sensor
- 4.34" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 80 - 51200
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 3840 x 2160 video
- 35mm (F2-22) lens
- 800g - 142 x 93 x 46mm
- Introduced September 2018

Olympus E-420 vs Zeiss ZX1 Overview
Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-420 vs Zeiss ZX1, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Zeiss. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and ZX1 (37MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and ZX1 (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

The E-420 was launched 11 years before the ZX1 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Zeiss ZX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.
Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-420 matches up vs the ZX1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-420 vs Zeiss ZX1 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 and Zeiss ZX1. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery and Zeiss ZX1 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Zeiss ZX1
E-420 | ZX1 |
---|
Reasons to pick Zeiss ZX1 over the Olympus E-420
ZX1 | E-420 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | September 2018 | ![]() | June 2008 | More recent by 124 months |
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating display |
Display dimension | 4.34" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+1.64") |
Display resolution | 2765k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+2535k dot) |
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Zeiss ZX1
E-420 | ZX1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very precise focusing | ||
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither has selfie screen |
Olympus E-420 vs Zeiss ZX1 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-420 has 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) whilst the Zeiss ZX1 has measurements of 142mm x 93mm x 46mm (5.6" x 3.7" x 1.8") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-420 vs Zeiss ZX1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the E-420 versus the ZX1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and ZX1 is 77 and 67 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Zeiss ZX1 Sensor Comparison
Generally, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements merely by reviewing technical specs. The visual below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and ZX1.
As you can tell, both of those cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-420 featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh trickier and the Zeiss ZX1 will deliver extra detail utilizing its extra 27 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Zeiss ZX1 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Zeiss ZX1 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Zeiss ZX1 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Zeiss |
Model | Olympus E-420 | Zeiss ZX1 |
Type | Entry-Level DSLR | Large Sensor Compact |
Introduced | 2008-06-23 | 2018-09-27 |
Body design | Compact SLR | Large Sensor Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic III | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | Full frame |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 36 x 24mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 864.0mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10MP | 37MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 |
Full resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 7488 x 4992 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 51200 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Number of focus points | 3 | 255 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 35mm (1x) |
Highest aperture | - | f/2-22 |
Available lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Display diagonal | 2.7 inch | 4.34 inch |
Display resolution | 230 thousand dot | 2,765 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 6,221 thousand dot |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/8000 seconds |
Continuous shooting speed | 4.0 frames per second | 3.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | no built-in flash |
Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | no built-in flash |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | 1/180 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 3840 x 2160 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM |
Max video resolution | None | 3840x2160 |
Video format | - | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 426 gr (0.94 lbs) | 800 gr (1.76 lbs) |
Dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 142 x 93 x 46mm (5.6" x 3.7" x 1.8") |
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 shots | - |
Battery form | Battery Pack | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | 512GB internal |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Price at launch | $999 | - |