Olympus E-420 Review

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Camera Experience
The Olympus E-420 is fun and seriousness all wrapped up in one tidy little package. It helped me feel like a serious photographer – rather than a point-and-shoot weenie — in front of my journalist friend during our visit to a ghost town. I enjoyed the camera’s satisfying shutter sounds, particularly in burst mode. More importantly, I got great shots, suitable for enlarging and framing. The E-420 looks, feels and acts like a professional camera.

Olympus E-420 Sample Photo - Boys

One of the benefits of a DSLR is shooting RAW and this was my first taste of shooting and editing RAW photos. The RAW files are bigger and require more post-processing. Unlike JPEGs, which benefit from in-camera processing, RAW images put the responsibility of image processing on the photographer. They also require special software to convert the images from the proprietary RAW format to JPEG or TIFF. The E-420 comes with Olympus Master software for images processing and RAW conversion. There are a lot of other RAW conversion software options, including Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2. Although RAW files require more work from the photographer, they are much richer in color and density information than JPEG or TIFF files and offer far greater image quality potential.

When I’m immersed in shooting, I find it distracting to stop and think about shutter speed and f-stops. I prefer the Auto and Landscape modes, or sometimes scene modes like Night + Portrait. I only change to manual or aperture and shutter priority exposure modes when confronted with a challenging lighting situation that demands careful exposure control. However, it’s nice to have all the options with the E-420. This is a camera I know I would continue to grow with.

The lighting conditions at Garnet ghost town were challenging – hot, bright midday sun outside; dim natural light inside. I was not surprised that the E-420 couldn’t handle the extremely contrasty outdoors light — I wouldn’t expect it of any camera. Shooting RAW and layering multiple exposures in Photoshop might have gotten better results, but midday light is always problematic. The E-420 got great exposures indoors, however, where bright light pouring through the abandoned hotel windows was the only illumination in otherwise dark rooms (see “Garnet Hotel” – top of review).

Olympus E-420 Sample Photo - Windvane and Sunset

The camera performed similarly well on a day trip to the Miracle of America Museum – a kitschy roadside attraction displaying everything from old farm equipment to a saddle Teddy Roosevelt once used. The E-420 also took gorgeous, saturated sunset photos, even focusing perfectly on a rooftop wind vane silhouetted against the evening sky. In general, I found the auto focus was amazingly accurate, focusing even at a distance and in low light. However, I was frustrated in my attempts at manual focus – I simply could not see the difference using either the viewfinder or the LCD. I was also surprised to learn that, unlike point-and-shoot and compact digital cameras, scene modes on digital SLRs do not adjust focus settings. For example, Landscape mode does not set auto focus to infinity, as it does with the compact cameras I’ve used. This was a problem when I was shooting a faraway snowy peak through the branches of a nearby tree and wanted the mountain to be in focus. Like shooting RAW, digital SLRs make the photographer responsible for focusing on the right subject. More control also means you have to pay more attention to what you’re doing.

Although Olympus says the E-420 is “small enough to fit into a purse or jacket pocket,” I think that’s a bit of a stretch. Sure, with the impressively small 28mm “pancake” lens, it would fit in a medium purse or large pocket. But it’s certainly not going to fit in a small purse or shirt pocket the way a point-and-shoot would. With the 14-42mm lens, I haven’t been able to carry it in anything smaller than my large fanny pack or tote-sized purse.

Battery performance was quite good. Two days after taking the E-420 on a museum visit where I shot about 150 photographs, including some with flash, the proprietary lithium-ion battery still showed up green (charged) on the display. However, it seemed like the battery drained two or three times faster when I was shooting RAW files.

The E-420′s battery charger really annoyed me. It has a long cord instead of a built-in plug like many other chargers. I understand that this is a cost-saving measure for Olympus, which can simply swap out the cord when selling the camera in countries with different electrical sockets. But you’d think that the world’s smallest DSLR, would also have a smaller, travel-friendly battery charger. This is a pet peeve of mine and an important consideration for those of us who like to travel light – especially in these days of increasing airline baggage restrictions.

After some two-fisted shooting with the E-420 and my regular point-and-shoot, I have to say I’m torn. Would I want to trade in the convenience of a truly pocket-sized camera for a larger DSLR that promises more features and better image quality? Both cameras produced nice-looking images on my computer screen, although close evaluation and studio tests show that the E-420′s image quality is far superior. I think I can safely say that my little point-and-shoot is the camera I’d grab for ordinary snapshot and vacation shooting. It’s simply easier — and the image quality isn’t half bad. The E-420 would be my camera of choice when shooting for publication or any other time I wanted top-notch image quality, control and performance.

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  • Pingback: Olympus E-420 Digital SLR Preview

  • A.M.D.A. says:

    Great pro review, like most of them are.

    The E-420 does feel good in the hand for me too, I tried it out at a photo store. However, the lack of in-body image stabilization and no Olympus lenses available with a stabilizer prevents me from running out and buying this camera.

    Other than this, it seems to be feature-packed and high-quality. Live view in such a tiny D-SLR would also be sure to come in handy.

  • Patia says:

    Thank you very much for the kind words and sharing your thoughts. I confess I’m sad to have to send this camera back!

  • nafim says:

    I had the e420 with twin kits lens and its much way better then my FZ7 Lumix… The cheapest level entry DSLR in Malaysia compared to Canon/Nikon. (with the twin kits lens). As a DSLR beginners its pretty worthwhile. Throw in the pancakes 25mm + FL36.. I save a lot just to fulfill my hobby :) Cheers…

  • A.M.D.A. says:

    Very interesting comment nafim!!!

    I also own an FZ7K.

  • Photo-John says:

    nafim and A.M.D.A. -
    Bigger pixels are always better! The E-420 will be faster and have much better image quality than the Panasonic FZ7 or any other compact digital camera. What it’s missing is the long zoom and image stabilization. For those you’ll need an Olympus E-520 and the Olympus Zuiko 18-200mm or 70-300mm lens. That combination will stomp the FZ7 in every possible way.

  • A.M.D.A. says:

    John -

    Of course I know that any DSLR will provide better image quality and features than compact digital cameras.

    What I meant is that it was interesting to read someone else’s opinion comparing the E-420 with the FZ7. As you know, the menu layouts/buttons as well as the Oly’s design and feel are quite different than the Lumix.

    Right now I can’t afford to buy a DSLR, but it sure is interesting to read other people’s opinions, since eventually I will have to make an upgrade. Thanks for the suggestion on the E-520, that looks like a better option, since it has a built-in stabilizer.

  • jarnan says:

    Thanks for great reviews! I am int process to make may final choice, the e-420 or the e-520. My major concer is: what practical impact has the absence of a stabilizer of lences or body to my work. In which situations will I feel I should hae given priority over whiegt and size over IS-functions? Very few, if any, give answers to this issue.

  • brabus says:

    soy una vara caliente y ya tengo una de estas…

  • Steph says:

    do nto buy the 18-180 olympus lens john. its slow and very soft. I was disappointed and took it back. :(

  • Photo-John says:

    Thanks for your comment, Steph. I’ve had the opportunity to use the Olympus 18-180mm lens and I agree that it’s not one of Olympus’ better lenses. For some people it might be a good option, though. Please post a review for the lens, since you’ve used it. We need more Olympus camera and lens reviews. Here’s a link to the Olympus 18-180mm lens user review page:

    Olympus Zuiko Digital 18-180mm Lens User Reviews >>

    Personally, I’d rather carry a couple of lenses and know I’m going to have better quality. Usually, I carry the 12-60mm and the 70-300mm. That offers very good quality and a huge range.

  • Pingback: Olympus EVOLT E-420 DSLR Review : DigiCamReview.com

  • Espana says:

    I’ve loved my Evolt Camera and its lenses — but I’ve wished that I didn’t have carry my two Olympus lenses with me when I was going to be taking images at both shorter and longer focal lengths. Having received the Olympus Zuiko 18mm-180mm ultra zoom lens (which is the equivalent of 35mm-350mm) as a present this Christmas, I no longer have to. This lightweight all-digital lens, made especially for the Olympus four thirds system, receives very sharp, very colorful, distortion-free images. Its weight is a little heavier than either of the two separate lenses that came with the camera and it’s not quite as fast a lens.

  • Jon says:

    I bought this camera on Craigslist for my daughter’s birthday, it seemed to work ok but was slow so I got her a good memory card. Then shortly afterwards it started acting up. Taking B&W pictures, running VERY slow, now it hardly works at all. I tried to update the firmware but it says it has the latest. She is very upset and doesn’t want use to spend any more money on it, would it be worth sending in or did this model have some kind of problem that would not make it worth repairing? Cosmetically it looks new.

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