Canon 400D vs Olympus E-600 Comparison

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Canon 400D

10 MP | APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Olympus E-600

12 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Canon 400D vs Olympus E-600 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing 400D and E-600, two Entry-Level DSLR cameras from Canon and Olympus. Canon 400D has a 10.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Olympus E-600 has a 12.0MP Four Thirds sensor. Canon 400D was introduced to market in October 2006 and Olympus E-600 was launched in August 2009. As you can see, 400D is 3 years older than E-600. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon 400D and Olympus E-600 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 400D Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2006-10-14

10MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 1600

Canon EF/EF-S Mount

2.5" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

556g. 127 x 94 x 65 mm

Also known as EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X

Replaced Canon EOS 350D Compare

Olympus E-600 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2009-08-30

12MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 3200

Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

2.7" Fully Articulated Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

4 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

515g. 130 x 94 x 60 mm

Canon 400D was replaced by Canon EOS 450D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 450D vs Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X)
Canon EOS 450D vs Olympus E-600

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 400D and Olympus E-600 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 400D over Olympus E-600

Viewfinder Magnification	0.5x vs 0.48x	Larger Viewfinder
Number of Focus Points	9 vs 7	2 more focus points
Color Depth	22.1 vs 21.5	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	11.0 vs 10.3	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	664 vs 541	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	32.60µm² vs 18.45µm²	76% larger pixel area

Reasons to choose Olympus E-600 over Canon EOS 400D

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution	12 MP vs 10 MP	19% more pixels
Max ISO	3.200 vs 1.600	100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size	2.7" vs 2.5"	0.2 inches larger display
Continuous Shooting	4.0fps vs 3.0fps	1 fps faster
Weight	515 g vs 556 g	41 g lighter
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies

Common Strengths of Canon EOS 400D and Olympus E-600

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality

Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS 400D and Olympus E-600

LCD Screen Size	2.5" vs 2.7"	Small display
LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 230k dots	Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions
Optical Viewfinder Type	Pentamirror vs Pentamirror	not as bright as Pentaprism Viewfinders
AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune)	No vs No	no option to fine tune Auto focus

Canon 400D vs Olympus E-600: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 400D and Olympus E-600 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon 400D has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 65 mm (5 x 3.7 x 2.56″) and weighs 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-600 has external dimensions of 130 x 94 x 60 mm (5.12 x 3.7 x 2.36″) and weighs 515 g (1.14 lb / 18.17 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 400D and Olympus E-600.

Comparison image of Canon 400D and Olympus E-600 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Canon 400D and Olympus E-600.

Top View Comparison image of Canon 400D and Olympus E-600 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus E-600 is 41g lighter than the Canon 400D but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Canon 400D has an APS-C sized sensor and Olympus E-600 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-600's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Canon 400D lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

400D

E-600

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

400D

E-600

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X) nor Olympus E-600 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus E-600's 2.7" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon 400D's 2.5" screen.

Moreover, Olympus E-600 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. On the other hand, Canon 400D has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to E-600.

Canon 400D vs Olympus E-600: Sensor Comparison

Canon 400D has a 10.0MP APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Olympus E-600 has a 12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic III+ processor.

Below you can see the 400D and E-600 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 400D and Olympus E-600 Cameras

As seen above, Canon 400D has a 1.5x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-600. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Canon 400D and Olympus E-600 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, 400D has scored 62, 7 points higher than E-600.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Canon 400D	62	22.1 bits	11.0 Evs	664 ISO
Olympus E-600	55	21.5 bits	10.3 Evs	541 ISO

Canon 400D vs Olympus E-600 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon 400D has an advantage over Olympus E-600. There are 326 lenses for Canon 400D's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 45 lenses for Olympus E-600's Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-600 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Canon 400D doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 112 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Canon 400D Lenses	# of Olympus E-600 Lenses
Standard Zoom	40	8
Standard Prime	19	4
Wideangle Zoom	37	4
Wideangle Prime	49	9
Telephoto Zoom	58	6
Telephoto Prime	43	4
SuperZoom	28	2
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	7	3
Macro Prime	28	4
Perspective Control Prime	16	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	1
TOTAL	326	45

What types of Photography are Canon 400D and Olympus E-600 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Canon 400D and Olympus E-600 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon 400D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-600 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Canon 400D for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-600 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Canon 400D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-600 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.0fps
Environmental Sealings
7 Focus Points
Read the details

Canon 400D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-600 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
556g
Body Thickness 65mm
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Large Body
515g
Body Thickness 60mm
Read the details

Canon 400D for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus E-600 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon 400D vs Olympus E-600: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon 400D and Olympus E-600, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon 400D and Olympus E-600 scores compare:

Canon 400D

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #70 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #608 out of 1225 in all Cameras

Olympus E-600

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #51 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #366 out of 1225 in all Cameras

Olympus E-600 has a higher Overall Score than the Canon 400D. It also has more features, more compact body and offers higher value for the money. But there is one area that E-600 trails behind the 400D: Imaging
If image quality is the most important aspect in a camera, choose the Canon 400D. If not, we recommend the Olympus E-600.

Olympus E-600 vs Canon 400D Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Canon EOS 400D	Olympus E-600
Brand	Canon	Olympus
Announced	2006-10-14	2009-08-30
Body Type	Compact SLR	Compact SLR
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	APS-C	Four Thirds
Dimensions	22.2 x 14.8 mm	17.3 x 13 mm
Area	328.56mm²	224.90mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	12 megapixels
Max Resolution	3888 x 2592	4032 x 3024
Max Native Light sensitivity	1,600 ISO	3,200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	9	7
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Canon EF/EF-S	Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses	326	45
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fully Articulated
Size	2.5"	2.7"
Resolution	230k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentamirror)	Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage	95%	95%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.5x	0.48x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	12.00 m (ISO 100)	12.00 m
Max Flash Sync	1/200s	1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps	4.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	None	None
Video Formats	n/a	n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	556g	515g
Dimensions	127 x 94 x 65mm	130 x 94 x 60mm
Battery Life	n/a	500 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	62	55
DxO Color Depth	22.1	21.5
DxO Dynamic Range	11.0	10.3
DxO Low Light ISO	664	541
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