Olympus E-420 - World’s Smallest Digital SLR

The 10-megapixel Olympus E-420 is currently the world’s smallest digital SLR. It makes the Canon EOS Rebel XSi / 450D look positively chunky. Olympus recently sent us an E-420 for evaluation so I thought I’d get a short preview up while we work on our comprehensive review.

Since I do a lot of outdoor photography where size and weight are an issue, I’m a fan of the compact Olympus Four-Thirds digital SLRs. This is just a quick preview of the E-420 but I did take it out on the mountain bike a couple of times and there’s almost no penalty carrying it. Like the other Olympus E-System digital SLRs, it has Live View and a dust reduction system. The kit comes with a 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ED lens (28-84mm equivalent). It also has a full range of exposure controls and a pop-up flash. The one thing you trade for the small size is the Olympus sensor-level mechanical image stabilization. In good light that won’t matter. But in low light or with long lenses it will be missed.

I originally thought the E-420 used the same sensor as the E-510. But Olympus recently informed me it’s a new sensor with more light-sensitive area on each pixel. This should mean less noise and improved image quality. I believe my E-420 photos reflect that with a better tonal range and less of a tendency to blow out highlights or block up in the shadows.

It’s great to have digital SLR performance in a camera the size of a rangefinder or high-end compact like the Canon G9. In my limited testing, E-420 image quality appears to be better than the E-510. It may require a few compromises, but for photographers who want the most performance in the smallest package, I think Olympus has something special in the E-420. Stay tuned for a complete, hands-on review…

Olympus E-420 Studio Sample Photos

ISO 100 Sample >> ISO 200 Sample >> ISO 400 Sample >> ISO 800 Sample >> ISO 1600 Sample >>

Olympus E-420 Sample Photos:

 
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Olympus E-420 User Reviews
Olympus E-420 Press Release
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