Olympus E-420
- 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
- Older Model is Olympus E-410
- Read full specs
- Alternatives
- Lenses
- Size Comparison
- FAQ
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
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Olympus E-420 overview
Olympus E-420 is Olympus's Entry-Level DSLR camera initially announced on June of 2008. It has a 10 MegaPixel, CMOS Four Thirds size sensor with a maximum resolution of 3648 x 2736.
Olympus released this camera to improve the previous Olympus E-410 (Read Full Comparison)
The E-420 ranks at #74 out of 80 in Entry-Level DSLR cameras & all round #709 out of 1465 for cameras in our list. Remember to check out our Smart camera filter to see camera rankings based on your personalized factors.
Here is a graph of multiple criteria used in the scoring system.
Olympus E-420 family
The Olympus E-420 is part of a family of cameras. You can view the complete list below.
Olympus E-420 Gallery
You can view the E-420 from various angles in the gallery below.
Olympus E-420 Pros and Cons
Here is a selection of pros and cons of the Olympus E-420 based on features that are generally viewed as crucial in a camera.
Olympus E-420 Sensor specs
The Olympus E-420 features the TruePic III chip. The sensor measurement on the Olympus E-420 is 17.3mm x 13mm (Four Thirds). The 225 mm² sensor has the ability to resolve 3648 x 2736 pixels with aspect ratios of 4:3.
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsThe CMOS sensor has 10 megapixels and has a native ISO range of 100 to 1600. RAW photos are saved which means that you have more margin for error.
The graphic below displays the E-420's sensor size compared to other common sizes. The E-420 sensor has a crop factor of 2.1 and is displayed in green.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesTo get an understanding of various aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.
Olympus E-420 dimensions
Olympus E-420 weighs about 0.94 lb (426 gr / 15.03 oz) & the size of the camera is 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1"). The weight of normal Entry-Level DSLR camera is 540 gr and the Olympus E-420 is lighter compared to various rivals.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoListed below is a pic of the Olympus E-420 besides a soft drink to help you get a feel for its size.
The top view below will show the button arrangement on the E-420.
Olympus E-420 Lens details
The E-420 uses the Micro Four Thirds mount and has 162 lenses available. Here is a few of the lenses we have in our database that will fit the E-420.
Olympus E-420 Connectivity
The E-420 has the following connectivity:
- USB Yes
Cameras that incorporate NFC or Bluetooth connectivity are able to be used wirelessly through smartphones. You will be able to copy photos and in some cases change camera settings with no need to connect physically with the camera.
Some apps also allow a Liveview and click the shutter if you aren't close to the camera. If the camera features a HDMI port, it can easily be attached to an external display. A lot of cameras will allow you to charge the battery through the USB socket.
Olympus E-420 Video details
Olympus E-420 doesn't take video. If you are wanting a camera to shoot just pictures, it is not a concern.
Olympus E-420 Weather Sealing
There is no weather proofing for the Olympus E-420 so you have to be cautious in rainy and dusty situations.
Olympus E-420 Display and Viewfinder
The Olympus E-420 has a 2.7 inch fixed screen with a resolution of 230 thousand dots.
Please note that the screen has no touch support.
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideThe View Finder specs for Olympus E-420 are below:
- ViewFinder Optical (pentamirror)
- ViewFinder Coverage 95%
- ViewFinder Magnification 0.46x
For bright outdoor situations that make the camera screens washed out and tough to see, viewfinders can be very valuable.
Olympus E-420 Shutter details
Olympus E-420 continuous shooting speed is 4.0 frames per second. The max shutter speed is 1/4000 seconds.
Olympus E-420 Flash and Hot shoe details
Olympus E-420 comes with both built in flash along with external flash ability. The highest flash sync speed is 1/180 seconds.
Olympus E-420 Autofocus details
Olympus E-420 comes with both Phase Detect Auto Focus as well as Contrast Based Auto Focus. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot more quicker & accurate compared to Contrast Based autofocusing.
It has 3 focus points to select from. Olympus E-420 comes with manual focusing when required in low light scenarios or you need to have more accurate focusing control.
Olympus E-420 Battery life
The battery for the Olympus E-420 is designed to last for 500 pictures as per the CIPA benchmarks which is lower as compared to it's rivals. The general Entry-Level DSLR camera battery life is 589. Pentax K-x comes with the highest possible (1900) battery life in this kind of cameras.
Listed below is a collection of Entry-Level DSLR cameras with the best battery life:
Olympus E-420 for specific forms of photography
The following chart provides a overview of the Olympus E-420 for specific forms of photography. To find out more, check out the specific section below.
Portrait photography with Olympus E-420
The Olympus E-420 gets a score of 56 which is decent, and means the camera is reasonably acceptable to use for portraits. Taking portraits favors greatly towards sensor specs, RAW support along with the capability to work with external flash.
Olympus E-420 Street photography features
With a nice rating of 64, the Olympus E-420 is a good choice to use in street photography. A good street photography camera comes with a good balance of picture quality and portability.
Olympus E-420 Sports photography info
A lousy sports photography points tally of 38 suggests the Olympus E-420 is just not good for taking pictures of sports. A camera really should have good focusing and shutter speeds for sports photography.
Olympus E-420 Travel photography advice
Weight is extremely important in getting a travel camera. On the whole, the Olympus E-420 gets a modest 52 for a travel camera which makes it somewhat suitable for your trips.
Olympus E-420 Landscape photography highlights
For anybody who is planning to purchase a digital camera for landscape photos, the most essential factor will no doubt be image quality. The Olympus E-420 and it's decent grade of 47 for a landscape camera is somewhat suitable compared to it's rivals.
Olympus E-420 Vlogging details
A camera for vlogging really should posses a articulating display screen, mic input and if possible image stabilization. Taking everything in to account, the Olympus E-420 is just not good for vlogging as it delivers a lousy score of 9.
Olympus E-420 Alternatives
If you are shopping for alternatives to the E-420, below is a selection of the top rated cameras which fall within the category of Entry-Level DSLR.
The chart here shows you a summary of the E-420 vs it's highest ranked rivals shown earlier.
Following are several cameras you might look into as alternative options. To read a complete comparison, simply click the "compare" link.