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Olympus E-420

 
Olympus E-420 front
 
Portability
77
Imaging
45
Features
36
Overall
41

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 #73 out of 80 in Entry-Level DSLR cameras & all round #681 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.

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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.

ModelVisualizeResolutionSensor SizeMax fpsReleased
Olympus-E-600 front thumbnailOlympus E-600
E-420 vs E-600
12MPFour Thirds4.0 fps2009
Olympus-E-620 front thumbnailOlympus E-620
E-420 vs E-620
12MPFour Thirds4.0 fps2009
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Olympus-E-450 front thumbnailOlympus E-450
E-420 vs E-450
10MPFour Thirds4.0 fps2009
Olympus-E-520 front thumbnailOlympus E-520
E-420 vs E-520
10MPFour Thirds4.0 fps2008
Olympus-E-420 front thumbnailOlympus E-42010MPFour Thirds4.0 fps2008
Olympus-E-410 front thumbnailOlympus E-410
E-420 vs E-410
10MPFour Thirds3.0 fps2007
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Olympus-E-400 front thumbnailOlympus E-400
E-420 vs E-400
10MPFour Thirds3.0 fps2006

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.

flash built-in
good min ISO (100)
has manual focus
has phase detect autofocus
lighter than competitors in class (426g)
saves RAW formats
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
bad battery (500 CIPA)
display is not selfie friendly
fixed screen
lack of HDMI support
lack of headphone jack
lack of image stabilization
lack of microphone jack
lack of Timelapse recording
lack of video recording
low resolution screen (230 thousand dot)
screen is small (2.7")
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
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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.

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The 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.

Olympus E-420 sensor size C500 Mark II gets new Cinema RAW Light modes from Canon

To get an understanding of various aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

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.

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Listed below is a pic of the Olympus E-420 besides a soft drink to help you get a feel for its size.

Olympus E-420 dimensions scale

The top view below will show the button arrangement on the E-420.

Olympus E-420 topview buttons dials

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.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight
Panasonic-Lumix-G-Leica-DG-Summilux-12mm-F1.4-ASPH lensPanasonic Lumix G Leica DG Summilux 12mm F1.4 ASPH12mmf/1.4 335g
Panasonic-Leica-D-Summilux-Asph-25mm-F1.4 lensPanasonic Leica D Summilux Asph 25mm F1.425mmf/1.4 510g
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Rokinon-24mm-f1.4-Aspherical-Four-Thirds lensRokinon 24mm f1.4 Aspherical24mmf/1.4 580g
Olympus-Zuiko-Digital-ED-50-200mm-f2.8-3.5-SWD lensOlympus Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD50-200mmf/2.8-3.5 995g
Panasonic-Lumix-G-Vario-14-42mm-F3.5-5.6-II-ASPH-Mega-OIS lensPanasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II ASPH Mega OIS14-42mmf/3.5-5.6 110g
Olympus-Zuiko-Digital-ED-70-300mm-f4.0-5.6 lensOlympus Zuiko Digital ED 70-300mm f4.0-5.670-300mmf/4.0-5.6 620g
OM System OM-1 Set to Enhance Autofocus
Voigtlander-Nokton-17.5mm-F0.95-Aspherical-Micro-Four-Thirds lensVoigtlander Nokton 17.5mm F0.95 Aspherical18mmf/0.95 540g
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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.

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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.

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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.

Olympus E-420 screen and viewfinder Jaw-Dropping Space Capture Exposes Earth's Mesmerizing Golden Luminescence

The 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.

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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.

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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:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth
C500 Mark II gets new Cinema RAW Light modes from Canon
Canon-EOS-Rebel-SL3 front thumbnailCanon SL3
E-420 vs SL3
1070 yesnoyes

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 57 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.

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you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low MP (10 megapixels)

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.

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nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition (426g)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization

Olympus E-420 Sports photography info

A lousy sports photography points tally of 39 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.

OM System OM-1 Set to Enhance Autofocus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (10MP)
low battery pack (500 shots)

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 53 for a travel camera which makes it somewhat suitable for your trips.

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lighter than others (426 grams)
has built in flash
no Time Lapse function
bad battery (500 shots)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly

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.

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focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
low battery (500 CIPA)
missing Timelapse recording

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.

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can't record video

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.

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Specifications

General Information
Make
Olympus
Model type
Olympus E-420
Type
Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced
2008-06-23
Body design
Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CMOS
Processor Chip
TruePic III
Sensor size
Four Thirds
Sensor measurements
17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area
224.9mm²
Sensor resolution
10 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio
4:3
Full resolution
3648 x 2736
RAW format
Max native ISO
1600
Lowest native ISO
100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points
3
Lens
Lens support
Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses
45
Crop factor
2.1
Screen
Display type
Fixed Type
Display diagonal
2.7"
Display resolution
230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type
Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage
95%
Viewfinder magnification
0.46x
DXO scores
DXO All around rating
56
DXO Color Depth rating
21.5
DXO Dynamic range rating
10.4
DXO Low light rating
527
Features
Slowest shutter speed
60s
Maximum shutter speed
1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed
4.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation
Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance
12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options
Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync
1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Max video resolution
None
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless
None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight
426 grams (0.94 lb)
Physical dimensions
130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1")
Other
Battery life
500 photographs
Type of battery
Battery Pack
Self timer
Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage
Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card
Storage slots
One
Pricing at launch
$999