Olympus E-420
Review Date : Mon, 9 Jun 2008
Author : Matt Golowczynski
- Product Shots: http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/equipment/galleries/productshots/olympus/8772/1/0/olympus-e-420-product-shots.html
- Sample Photos: http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/equipment/galleries/sample-images/olympus/9170/1/0/olympus-e-420-sample-images.html
- Video: http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/videos/reviews/285104/olympus-e420-and-e520-review.html
The 10-megapixel Olympus E-420 is a purposely compact DSLR that features Live View and Shadow Adjustment technology.
| Pros: | Little effort to carry, dust reduction, excellent value for money, consistent AWB |
|---|---|
| Cons: | Handling, position of right eyelet, highlight control, slow AF system with standard lenses |
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Four Thirds system has been around longer than its years. Having quietly celebrated its fifth birthday last year, the system has to date notched up 13 DSLR bodies and 37 lenses, with help from a range of manufacturers and the backing of an ardent supporter base.
Olympus has been at the forefront of this, most notably pioneering live view and its dust reduction system, technologies later adopted by other DSLR manufacturers for their own models. Needless to say its new E-420 and Olympus E-520 models features both of these, and continue the evolution of the live-view system. Their announcement came as a bit of a surprise – not least because of Olympus’s prolificity in releasing three DSLRs last year – though their keen price points stand to threaten the entry-level market, an area most manufacturers are muscling in on now more than ever.
As with the two models they replace, they vary in few areas from each other. Both have been therefore tested together, to avoid repetition and to gain a better understanding of the differences between them. In either case, I’m keen to find out what’s been tinkered with under the bonnet and whether their respective upgrades have been justified.
Next page: Olympus E-420 features and design review
More Olympus E-420 on What Digital Camera.com
- Compare the Olympus E-420 with other products
- Olympus E-420 video review
- Olympus E-420 sample images
- Olympus E-420 product photos
Verdict
It’s rare to come across a camera that both pleases and irritates you in roughly the same proportions, and here I have found two. There is a lot to like about each; the E-420 for providing masses of features and a good standard of images in such a cheap and compact package, and the E-520 for its handling and effective image stabilisation and equally good image quality. But as much as I’d like to report that it’s all roses, the 3-point AF system and limited ISO range are still disappointing. There are many other foiblies – the E-420’s awkward handling, the inability to delete images straight after you’ve taken them and so on – though once you get to know each camera these aren’t huge concerns. I am, however, concerned that as the last few Olympus models have all sported effective pixel counts of 10 megapixels, it may suggest that the technology may be reaching some sort of spatial plateau. This is despite the use of different sensors with increasing total pixel counts, and indicates that those manufacturers moving towards full-frame sensors may well have more scope for future development. I hope Olympus proves me wrong, and I’m genuinely interested to see what the Four Thirds future holds. Nevertheless, as models in their own right they still impress, and being launched at such aggressive price points makes their features-to-price ratio particularly impressive. I won’t pretend that they’re for everyone, but as they are they both stand to make an good impression in today’s DSLR market.
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