• 4/3 224.9mm2
  • 10.0 megapixels
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • APS-C 372.9mm2
  • 12.3 megapixels
  • ISO 200 - 3200

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Differences

Olympus E-420 advantages over Nikon D300S

  • Thinner
    53 mm vs 74 mm
    Thinner
  • Lighter weight
    453g vs 951g
    Lighter weight
  • Less shutter lag
    0.14 vs 0.23 sec
    Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
  • Longer exposure
    60 vs 30 sec
    Long exposures for night shots

Nikon D300S advantages over Olympus E-420

  • Lens selection
    Excellent vs Good
    Better lens selection gives you more options
  • Larger sensor
    APS-C vs 4/3
    More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
  • Bigger pixels
    ~ 5.50 vs 4.74 microns
    Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
  • Fast startup
    ~0.30 vs 0.8 sec
    Faster startup lets you catch the moment
  • Higher effective ISO
    787 vs 527 iso
    Take photos in low light with less noise
  • More dynamic range
    12.2 vs 10.4 evs
    Retain detail in highlight and shadows
  • Longer stills battery life
    More info 950 vs 500 shots
    Capture more photos
  • Top deck display
    Yes vs No
    Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
  • External Mic Jack
    Jack vs No jack
    Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
  • More cross-type AF points
    15 vs 1
    Cross-type AF points improve autofocus performance
  • Pentaprism viewfinder
    Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
    Much better viewfinder picture fidelity
  • HDMI out
    HDMI out vs None
    Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
  • Shoots 24p video
    Yes vs No
    Gives your movies a big-screen feel
  • More dots on screen
    922k vs 230k dots
    Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
  • More viewfinder magnification
    0.63x vs 0.46x
    Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
  • More pixels
    12.3 vs 10.0 megapixels
    Higher resolution photos
  • Dual card slots
    Yes vs No
    Gives you more storage flexibility
  • More AF points
    51 vs 3
    More AF points improve autofocus
  • Faster JPEG shooting
    7.1 fps vs 3.5 fps
    Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
  • Bigger JPEG buffer
    26 vs 13 shots
    Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
  • Faster shutter
    1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
    Shoot wide open in bright light
  • Higher extended ISO
    6400 vs 1600 ISO
    Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

  • Eye-level viewfinder
    Both provide
    You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
  • Internal flash
    Both provide
    Useful in a pinch for fill flash
  • Hot shoe
    Both provide
    Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
  • Bulb shutter
    Both provide
    Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

  • Focus peaking
    Neither provide
    Your camera will highlight what's in focus
  • Tilt-swivel screen
    Neither provide
    Tilt and swivel the screen for maximum shooting flexibility
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
    Neither provide
    Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
  • Touchscreen
    Neither provide
    Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
  • In-camera panoramas
    Neither provide
    Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
  • Tiltable Screen
    Neither provide
    Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
    Neither provide
    Share your photos wirelessly
  • NFC
    Neither provide
    Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
  • Built-in Bluetooth
    Neither provide
    Always-on wireless connectivity
  • Built-in GPS
    Neither provide
    Geotag your photos
  • On-sensor phase detect
    Neither provide
    Usually improves live view and video AF performance
  • Headphone jack
    Neither provide
    Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
  • Slow-motion videos
    Neither provide
    Shoot slow-motion videos

User reviews

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Your purchases support this site

Review Excerpt

  • Rugged construction; 51-point AF system capable of sophisticated AF tracking; Large, bright optical viewfinder; 7 fps JPEG or 12-bit RAW burst mode; HD Video capture.

  • 14-bit RAW mode slows continuous shooting from 7 fps to 2.7 fps; Somewhat slow AF for a camera at this level, especially in 51-point auto-area mode; Video capture tops out at 720p24.

The Competition

Compared to Canon 50D

Olympus E-420
Canon 50D
  • $400
  • 4/3
  • Less expensive
  • Thinner
  • $1000
  • APS-C
  • Lens selection
  • Larger sensor
Nikon D300S
Canon 50D
  • $1663
  • APS-C
  • Higher effective ISO
  • Longer stills battery life
  • $1000
  • APS-C
  • Less shutter lag
  • More pixels

Compared to Olympus E-620

Olympus E-420
Olympus E-620
  • $400
  • 4/3
  • Less expensive
  • Fast startup
  • $800
  • 4/3
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
  • Tiltable Screen
Nikon D300S
Olympus E-620
  • $1663
  • APS-C
  • Lens selection
  • Larger sensor
  • $800
  • 4/3
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
  • Tiltable Screen

Compared to Olympus E-450

Olympus E-420
Olympus E-450
  • $400
  • 4/3
  • Less expensive
  • $700
  • 4/3
Nikon D300S
Olympus E-450
  • $1663
  • APS-C
  • Lens selection
  • Larger sensor
  • $700
  • 4/3
  • Thinner
  • Lighter weight

Compared to Sony DSLR-A550

Olympus E-420
Sony DSLR-A550
  • $400
  • 4/3
  • Less expensive
  • Thinner
  • $859
  • APS-C
  • Larger sensor
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
Nikon D300S
Sony DSLR-A550
  • $1663
  • APS-C
  • Lens selection
  • Fast startup
  • $859
  • APS-C
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
  • Tiltable Screen

Compared to Olympus E-600

Olympus E-420
Olympus E-600
  • $400
  • 4/3
  • $600
  • 4/3
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
  • Tiltable Screen
Nikon D300S
Olympus E-600
  • $1663
  • APS-C
  • Lens selection
  • Larger sensor
  • $600
  • 4/3
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
  • Tiltable Screen
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