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Last review was sent on 11 December 2009

Olympus E-620 reviews

Olympus E-620

Overall rating:

- 4.5

You can find here the most interesting reviews / ratings from the well-known expert sites about the Olympus E-620 Camera. Here are the reviewers:

Neo Camera	- 11 December 2009 -	- 5
DPReview	- 06 July 2009 -	- 4
Steves Digicams	- 03 July 2009 -	- 0
Camera Labs	- 26 June 2009 -	- 4.5
DCResource	- 25 June 2009 -	- 0
LetsGoDigital	- 13 June 2009 -	- 5
PhotographyBLOG	- 08 June 2009 -	- 5
DigitalCameraInfo	- 14 May 2009 -	- 0
DigitalCameraReview	- 12 May 2009 -	- 0
DPInterface	- 13 April 2009 -	- 0

“ The Olympus E-620 is one of the smallest DSLR, yet it has a well-rounded feature set and quite a few external controls. The most significant compromise for a DSLR this size is a tiny viewfinder which makes it difficult to confirm focus, and the E-620 is no exception here.

In terms of image quality and performance the E-620 does quite well without being class-leading in any area. Despite the small sensor, image noise is kept low and dynamic-range is excellent. The autofocus performance is slightly below average but the camera always responds quickly.

The bottom line is that the E-620 makes an outstanding choice for those needing a small DSLR, without losing the viewfinder and going to a Micro Four-Thirds digital camera like the EP-1 we just reviewed. The main difference is that, while the EP-1 actually beats the E-620 in terms of image quality, the lack of reflex viewfinder makes tracking moving subjects next to impossible, so for action and sports, the E-620 will be much more useful.

Direct competitors are all a little bigger and include the Pentax K-x and Canon Rebel XSi, both excellent cameras with good feature sets. Note that the XSi does not include built-in stabilization... ”

Neo Camera's rating:

- 5

Complete review here

“ The Four Thirds range has tended to lag a fraction behind the best contemporary APS-C sensor-size DSLRs in terms of absolute performance but make up some of the difference with excellent lenses, feature-packed specifications, and lower sticker prices. This isn't the case with the E-620 - however you look at it, it's up there with the best of them. It doesn't offer the video recording capabilities of some of its contemporaries, but as a dedicated stills camera, it's a pretty compelling package. Built-in Image Stabilization gives it an edge over its rivals if you're buying additional lenses.

Final words: When we reviewed the Olympus E-30, we said it was the best Four Thirds DSLR yet - it didn't hold on to that crown for long. The E-620 crams most of the E-30's feature set into a much smaller, much less expensive package that competes more convincingly with its peers than any Four Thirds camera we've yet seen. ... ”

DPReview's rating:

- 4

Complete review here

“ Like past models, the E-620 offers a great deal of versatility, whether you are an amateur to professional photographer, or simply a novice. With 18 pre-programmed scene modes, 6 Art modes as well as full Auto, the most inexperienced user can pick this camera up and start capturing pleasing shots. Those with a little more experience with also appreciate Program AE mode, which is fully automatic (the camera selects the aperture and shutter values), however now they have access to controls like ISO, White Balance, AF mode, Metering, Color Space, etc. Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sport and Night+Portrait can be accessed directly via the Mode dial, and offer advanced exposure options like those found in Program mode. These same exposure options are not available when you select the Scene or Art positions on the mode dial. The E-620 still retains all of the advanced controls that advanced photographers desire, such as Aperture priority, Shutter speed priority and full Manual exposure modes as well as a slew of custom functions.

Bottom line - Olympus continues to offer high-quality features and abilities in their E-series models. While the E-620 is what we consider an advanced amateur model, it sports an entry-level price tag of about US$699 or less for the body/14-14mm Zuiko lens outfit. With excellent image quality both indoors and out, pleasing High ISO capabilities, and loads of easy to use features, we have no problem giving the Olympus E-620 dSLR a high recommendation... ”

Steves Digicams's rating:

- 0

Complete review here

“ Olympus has done a great job with the E-620, delivering a feature-packed DSLR that’s great fun to use, yet has enough sophistication to keep demanding enthusiasts happy. The company has struck a great balance in the design, producing a camera that’s sufficiently small to never feel a burden, without compromising comfort, build or ergonomics. If you were attracted to the size of the E-420, but wanted the stabilisation of the E-520, this is the camera for you. The feature-set is also impressive with built-in anti-shake, a fully-articulated screen, considerable customisation and the most effective anti-dust system of any DSLR we’ve tested.

Unless you’re bothered by the lack of a movie mode and HDMI port, the only real – or at least, perceived – concern lies with the high ISO performance. As you can clearly see in our results pages, rival DSLRs with physically bigger sensors can deliver lower noise above 400 ISO; the Nikon D5000 performs particularly well in this regard.

At this point, many reviews of Four Thirds cameras come to the same conclusion: nice camera, shame about the noise. But is it really a deal-breaker? Noise levels are easy to measure and illustrate, and hence are a favourite for both reviewers and enthusiasts to compare. They are undoubtedly an important factor in DSLR performance, but it’s crucial to choose a camera based on your needs, not someone else’s.

If you regularly shoot above 400 ISO and demand low noise, then there’s better choices out there, particularly the Nikon D5000. But if most of your shots are taken at lower sensitivities, or the noise in our results pages look fine to you, then the E-620 is a fine choice. Remember while the Four Thirds system is often criticised for higher noise levels than rivals, the flip-side to the coin is it boasts some of the very best lenses around (including respectable kit models), not to mention the most effective anti-dust system on the market. So it’s all about figuring out where your own priorities lie.

There’s one other thing we should mention. Throughout this review we’ve compared the E-620 against the Canon 500D / T1i and Nikon D5000 and seen how each model has its pros and cons. The E-620 has one trump card remaining though, and that’s the price. These three cameras may have started as rivals, and all represent a step-up from entry-level models, but at the time of writing, you could buy an E-620 kit for around 25% less than either the Canon or Nikon. Or for just a little less than either rival kit, you could have the E-620 with not one, but two lenses, giving you a total equivalent coverage of 28-300mm.

Ultimately the E-620 represents great value and is a DSLR we can whole-heartedly recommend. As always though, be sure to think carefully about your personal requirements and closely compare the features and image quality of its rivals. The E-620 is a great DSLR for the money, but the Canon 500D / T1i and Nikon D5000 also have a great deal going for them... ”

Camera Labs's rating:

- 4.5

Complete review here

“ Overall, the E-620 is a camera that I enjoyed using. I found that I did have to tweak some settings to get the most out of it -- such as switching to AF sensor focusing in live view, and bumping up the exposure compensation by 1/3 stop -- but once that was done, I was pretty happy with how it performed. Some of the design-related concerns I raised cannot be changed, so it's definitely worth trying out the E-620 in person before you buy one, in case any of those things bother you as well. Overall though, it's a nice D-SLR at a great price point, and is worth taking a close look at... ”

DCResource's rating:

- 0

Complete review here

“ There are cameras offering just a little extra. Something that makes you shoot in a different way, perhaps more consciously. And the Olympus E-620 is such a camera. Granted, the camera is not perfect in all its facets, but it does provide a stunningly wide array of options and clever functionalities. The overall impression of the camera is strong and convincing. Not only does the camera continuously seem to offer more than deemed possible before, it is also able to enter the battle with the competition in its very own way. Take for example the large amount of ZUIKO lenses available for the Olympus E-620. In short, the Olympus E0620 provides digital photography on a high quality level... ”

LetsGoDigital's rating:

- 5

Complete review here

“ The Olympus E-620 offers the most effective combination of features, ease-of-use and price of any Olympus DSLR camera to date, and it's also a real contender for the Best Mid-Range DSLR crown. The E620 is a compelling all-round package that will appeal to beginners and more experienced users alike, with a compact and lightweight yet fairly robust design that comes with a lot of features for an entry-level camera. Borrowing features from both the cheaper E-450 and more expensive E-30 models has resulted in the E-620 hitting the sweet-spot between those two cameras.

The icing on the cake is the inclusion of built-in image stabilisation, ensuring that every lens that you use with the E-620 benefits from this system, and the free-angle LCD screen which makes image composition much more versatile than with a fixed screen. Dedicated buttons for changing the focusing mode, ISO sensitivity, white balance and metering mode, the 7-point auto-focus system and relatively large, bright viewfinder are also very welcome features that the E-450 notably lacks.

It's not all good news though - that old bug-bear of Four Thirds cameras, namely easily visible noise at higher ISO settings, rears its ugly head once again. The E-620 is no better or worse than its stable-mates in this respect, but it doesn't compare well to its main rivals from the likes of Nikon, Canon and Sony, which all offer better low-light performance from their bigger APS-C size sensors.

The other major omission is the lack of ability to shoot video. Admittedly you have to pay more for the Canon EOS 500D or Nikon D5000 to get this feature, but it may just persuade potential E-620 owners to save a bit harder and spend a bit more elsewhere at a time when video on DSLRs is being heavily pushed as the next big thing.

If you don't want to use your DSLR to record movies and you don't do very much handheld low-light shooting, then it's very easy to recommend the Olympus E-620, so much so that we've given it our highest possible Essential! award. It's one of the cheapest and most full-featured mid-range SLR cameras, with great ease-of use, compact size and light weight, and excellent image quality in good light. This camera certainly lives up to its official billing as "The Olympus E-620: All our knowledge in one", and is our pick of the current range of Olympus DSLRs... ”

PhotographyBLOG's rating:

- 5

Complete review here

“ In a lot of ways, the Olympus E-620 is a very appealing camera, providing nearly all the key features of the company's E-30 model at a $600 lower price. The two cameras share a 12.3-megapixel resolution, a pivoting LCD screen that provides the freedom to shoot at odd angles with ease, and a set of six Art Filters that make adventurous beginners look like Photoshop masters. The E-620 is much smaller than the E-30, which for many users is a big plus, providing improved portability. And the E-620 offers a strong novice-to-sophisticated user path, with an effective auto mode and lots of Scene Modes for newcomers and an extensive array of customization options for experienced users wanting to tailor the shooting experience to their personal preferences.

The results of our lab testing, though, throw some cold water on our initial enthusiastic response. Color accuracy is first-rate, resolution is good, and the burst rate is a solid 4 frames per second, but as with the E-30 before it, image noise is our biggest concern. We found it easily visible even in photos taken in decent lighting conditions, and intrusive when the lights are low. Yes, you can pump up the noise reduction filter to remove some of the intrusive speckling, but the high levels necessary to accomplish this takes a heavy toll in lost image detail... ”

DigitalCameraInfo's rating:

- 0

Complete review here

“ When we reviewed the E-30, we liked just about everything about the camera - except the price. When the E-620 came along, it seemed like exactly the answer we - and, we're betting, a lot of other shooters - are looking for: the E-30's creative advantages for casual shooters and those who don't relish the thought of hours of post-processing, in a camera that's more in line with what your typical student or advanced family photographer is willing to shell out. Likewise, shooters with an investment in Olympus who want to see what the bulk of Olympus's new creative technologies are all about without making the major investment that the E-30 represents now have a low-cost alternative to consider.

It's in no way a sleight on the E-620 to say that this camera could fairly be marketed as "E-30 Lite." Even in an industry where we're used to derivative models and trickle-down technology, the E-620 impressed with just how closely its performance - from shooting speed to image quality - aligned with what we saw from the much more expensive parent model. The E-620 may not have an edge on its strongest competition in measures of raw performance, but with quick continuous shooting, a boatload of processing controls, a full complement of Olympus's latest creative features, and the ability to get plugged in with Olympus's legendary lenses, the E-620 also has some advantages that no competitor can match.

No, there's no video capture, and novice shooters may balk at the camera's many features and modes. But if you're a current Olympus system user, this might just be the backup body you've been waiting for... ”

DigitalCameraReview's rating:

- 0

Complete review here

“ The new Olympus E620 is a very interesting and capable digital SLR – no wonder everyone’s talking about it (and that explains the many emails from readers asking me to review it). The E620 takes many of the things that makes its big brother, the E30 great – including 12 megapixels of resolution, rotating 2.7 inch screen with good visibility, good performance, most of its feature set (including Art Filters) and wireless flash setup capabilities – and puts those features into a form factor the size and shape of the relatively compact E520.

As mentioned, the Olympus E620 is quite small for a digital SLR, and the smallest and lightest with built-in image stabilization, so says Olympus. The camera is easy to hold and has fairly good ergonomics; though it suffers from being overloaded with too many buttons and some of them are difficult to press. Once you get the hang of the E620, though, you’ll appreciate its control setup with each button dedicated to one function and the fact that several of the controls are backlit for easy visibility of their labels in the dark. Live view was well implemented, though slow, and that rotating LCD really comes in handy when paired with live view.

The camera has an average bundle with decent battery life that you can double via the optional battery grip. Naturally for a digital SLR, there are lots of other accessories available for the E620, but strangely, no AC adapter. The Olympus E620 also supports wireless flash setup and control right out of the box, that’s great.

The Olympus E620 has a full suite of manual controls, including the ability to take RAW photos and develop them in playback mode, advanced white balance control and numerous bracketing functions. There’s also a total of nine categories of custom functions on the camera, including the ability to tune individual lenses to compensate for front/back focus (None of the competition in this class have this feature!). But of course, Olympus didn’t leave casual shooters and beginners out in the cold either – there are plenty of scene modes on the E620 as well as the ability to apply special effects to photos as they are being taken via the Art Filters feature, which will appeal to beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Performance was quick as well; the Olympus E620 had no problems keeping up, even when constantly shooting several pictures in a row. Continuous shooting of JPEG photos was excellent – with a high-speed card, the E620 can fill up the whole card with 12 MP Large/Normal photos. RAW continuous shooting on the other hand, was less impressive; the camera still shoots at the same nice 4 FPS but the number of shots you can take is quite limited (usually just 7 or 8 RAW images). Autofocus ‘the normal way’ (optical viewfinder) was snappy but focusing in live view mode takes much longer and is suited for shooting of still subjects only.

Image quality of the Olympus E620 was generally good – the camera took nicely exposed photos with good color accuracy, sharpness and images were clean at ISO 800 and below. Though it can’t be denied that some of the E620’s 1.5X/1.6X crop APS-C format competitors produce slightly cleaner images, you have to take into consideration the fact the E620’s 2X crop Four Thirds sensor is smaller than the sensors of its competitors.

The Olympus E620 is a nice little digital SLR that I would highly recommend. It has lots of great features – some of which like lens fine tuning, dual card slots and RAW development aren’t even available on most cameras of this class. If you’re looking for a relatively compact and feature-packed digital SLR for 700 bucks or below, then the Olympus E620 is it... ”