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Olympus E-420 reviews
You can find here the most interesting reviews / ratings from the well-known expert sites about the Olympus E-420 Camera. Here are the reviewers:
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- 26 January 2009 - |
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- 0 |
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- 15 October 2008 - |
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- 4 |
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- 14 October 2008 - |
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- 0 |
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- 02 July 2008 - |
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- 4.5 |
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- 24 June 2008 - |
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- 4 |
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- 05 June 2008 - |
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- 4.5 |
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- 03 June 2008 - |
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- 0 |
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- 27 May 2008 - |
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- 4 |
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- 06 April 2008 - |
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- 3 |
Biofos 's conclusion / rating - 26 January 2009 |
This article arose from setting up my own E-420. However, documenting it with my reasons for the various choices made, was an all together longer exercise than I'd anticipated. I would never suggest that these settings are in any way perfect but they will give you a good starting point especially if you are not particularly familiar with Olympus DSLRs and their menu system. I suggest you experiment with some of the more major settings to get the image output you require.
You may also wish to read similar articles (just as I did), especially that on setting up the E-410/510 by my good friend Andrzej Wrotniak...
Complete review here
PhotographyReview 's conclusion / rating - 15 October 2008 |
The worlds smallest digital SLR does not disappoint. The Olympus E-420 packs professional features and performance into a remarkably small, lightweight and comfortable camera body. Its obvious that Olympuss designers thought this one through. The E-420 is well designed and user-friendly; its body is exceptionally comfortable; and the controls, menus and other settings are highly intuitive. It is a pleasure to use.
If I bought this camera, I would probably also buy the Olympus Zuiko 18-180mm lens. A lightweight, user-friendly digital SLR with a diminutive 36-360mm equivalent lens for under $1,000? I have to admit, its very tempting...
PhotographyReview's rating: |
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- 4 |
Complete review here
Steves Digicams 's conclusion / rating - 14 October 2008 |
The Olympus E-420 is a nice improvement over the EVOLT E-410 from last year. This is a very capable compact dSLR with great image quality, robust performance, impressive burst mode shooting, and loads of useful exposure options. Users will be able to capture great photos, regardless of their photography experience with this camera. The only issues I had with the E-420 were the sluggish Live View shooting performance results and poor placement of the neck strap eyelit on the right-hand side. With a street price of US$499 (body only), US$599 with ED 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens or US$699 with ED 25mm f2.8 Zuiko Digital Lens, I feel the Olympus E-420 offers a great value in the "entry-level" dSLR category. ...
Steves Digicams's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
TrustedReviews 's conclusion / rating - 02 July 2008 |
There's very little to criticise in the overall specification and performance of the E-420. I like it's size - it's ideal for travelling and is reminiscent of my old OM4 in some aspects of its handling.
Images are generally good too, with excellent sharpness and detail. Colour is crisp and while exposures are slightly underexposed to my taste, they do maintain good tonality throughout the range.
The Four-Thirds system is somewhat contentious amongst the more vocal geeks on the forums, but it has many benefits and is definitely worthy of consideration to anyone coming to a DSLR for the first time. The Olympus E-420 is a pleasure to use and it's simplicity combined with the more advanced features allows the newbie to learn and grow as well as just enjoying taking good images....
TrustedReviews's rating: |
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- 4.5 |
Complete review here
DPReview 's conclusion / rating - 24 June 2008 |
Olympus claims the E-420 is the smallest and lightest (only its predecessor is a few grams lighter) DSLR on the market and there is no doubt that this is true. The E-420 - especially in combination with the new 25mm F2.8 pancake lens - makes an extremely compact package. If you want a truly pocketable camera without losing DSLR image quality the E-420 should be right at the top of your shortlist.
In conclusion, the E-420 is an ideal walkaround camera with a great feature set and unrivalled customizability. The image quality issues described above very slightly tarnish the positive overall picture but if compact dimensions and pocketability are high up on your list of buying criteria the E-420 should still be one of your favorites. I certainly found myself sticking it into my pocket even on occasions when I would not usually have taken an SLR with me and anything that gets you to take more images can only be a good thing....
Complete review here
PhotographyBLOG 's conclusion / rating - 05 June 2008 |
From close examination of the Olympus E-420 it's fair to say that owners of the previous E-410 have little to feel threatened by. Doppelganger control layout aside, operationally too the E-420 delivers a performance that's nigh on identical, though if we're pushed it's perhaps one that's slightly more consistent overall. Perhaps Olympus could have gone further, but it already had a camera that was doing most of what was asked of it. So we have a slightly larger LCD albeit with the same resolution as its predecessor, slightly faster continuous capture, but still no built-in mechanical image stabilisation as found on the E-510/E-520. Arguably under most circumstances you can get away without it or use a tripod or steadying surface if necessary. With plenty of detail on offer in the images, and even the natural colour setting providing more 'pep' than we're used to seeing from Olympus, the E-420 maintains the good work laid down by its predecessors. So while existing owners don't have quite a compelling enough reason to upgrade, those buying into the Olympus Four Thirds system now will get a reliable performer at a bargain price. Beginners will also relish the ease of use and the lack of bulk and weight normally associated with a DSLR....
PhotographyBLOG's rating: |
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- 4.5 |
Complete review here
Imaging Resource 's conclusion / rating - 03 June 2008 |
The Olympus E-420 picks up where the E-410 left off, advancing the feature set and underlying characteristics within Olympus's line. While the addition of Face Detection and Contrast-Detect autofocus clearly target point-and-shooters, the introduction of a 25mm pancake lens and incorporation of Wireless Flash control shows potential for a new digital SLR design. Up to this point, small, compact digital SLRs have been relegated to entry-level offerings with point-and-shoot interests in mind. The Olympus E-420 still very much fits into this camp, though it alludes to the prospect of a full-featured, pocketable digital SLR line with rangefinder-sized optics. If Olympus continues to develop additional pancake-styled primes and tailor the feature set to more hands-on shooters, at this price point, I could see the Olympus E-420 garnering wide appeal. I presume even a number of Canon and Nikon shooters would be willing to pick one up as an everyday, walk-around camera.
For the time being, though, the Olympus E-420 will primarily resonate with snapshooters exploring the digital SLR space. And while it lacks image stabilization, the incredibly small camera packs familiar features and solid image quality at an impressively low price point....
Imaging Resource's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
Camera Labs 's conclusion / rating - 27 May 2008 |
So with the E-420 and pancake lens, Olympus has created a DSLR kit which will appeal to a broad group of buyers: those upgrading from a point and shoot, those who leave a DSLR at home because its too big or heavy, and those who want a smaller, lighter backup body to a higher-end model. We were already very fond of its predecessor, so with the new enhancements and the introduction of the 25mm pancake, the E-420 has become better still.
But the fact is, the E-520 is just round the corner and like the E-510 before it, most buyers will inevitably go for that over the E-420. While built-in stabilisation is undoubtedly tempting though, its a shame if you automatically rule-out the E-420 for not having it. To do so would be missing out on one of the most unique DSLRs around right now, so ask yourself very carefully do you really, honestly need stabilisation?...
Camera Labs's rating: |
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- 4 |
Complete review here
DigitalCameraReview 's conclusion / rating - 06 April 2008 |
The Olympus E-420 is touted as the "world's smallest digital SLR" and there is no doubt the camera is compact and light mounting the 25mm lens and ready to shoot with a CF card onboard, my review unit weighed in at just under 18.5 ounces. As DCR.com editor David Rasnake mentioned in his First Thoughts piece on this camera, with the 25mm lens onboard in particular, the E-420 is approaching mid-size ultrazoom territory: 5 x 3.5 x 3.75 inches, versus the Canon S5 IS at 4.6 x 3.15 x 3.06 inches and about 18 ounces. To be fair to the Canon, it does pack a zoom lens featuring a 36-432mm focal length range, while the Olympus is stuck at an equivalent 50mm, but it's still a fairly dramatic example of just how small a full-featured DSLR can be.
I personally found the camera a bit small for my hands, and the placement of the strap attachment eyelet and ring near the shutter button rubbed my middle finger the wrong way. The camera also had some difficulty acquiring focus in dim light on occasion perhaps not out of the norm for entry level units, but annoying none the less. All in all, though, there's not much to gripe about on this otherwise capable entry level unit....
DigitalCameraReview's rating: |
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- 3 |
Complete review here
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