Customer Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful 'pocketable' dSLR
Comment: I have used nearly every OLYMPUS dSLR (exception being the E-300 & E-400). I use the Olympus E-3 for my paid work and find it a superb camera. But like many of you, I want a camera with SLR quality to carry around minus the weight of my workhorse E-3. Enter the E-420, an absolute jewel of a camera whose IQ is top notch especially when compared to its market segment (Canon Rebels, Nikon D40/D60/D80, Pentax K200D, etc.). The gradation is fantastic, rivaling even my E-3. And coupling this, the world's smallest dSLR body with the new Pancake lens (25mm f/2.8, equivalant to 50mm in Full Frame) and you have a near 'pocketable' (depends on the size of the pocket) dSLR capable of taking phenomenal photos. Now, is it a world beater? No. But it isn't meant to be. It is meant for folks who want SMALL, but for whom Image Quality MATTERS. And here, it scores a perfect 10 (or 5 STARS in this case). As to the negative comment about focus points (you want 51 focus points, go spend 5K on the Nikon D3... truly a great camera, but marketed to a different segment of shutterbugs). And I have no idea what the reviewer was talking about poor performance in low light (this is much more of a lens issue on any camera), all I can say is NONSENSE. It does fine. No better and certainly no worse than any of the other 20+ dSLRs I've shot with. In fact, I used it as a 2nd camera during a 50th wedding anniversary party I was hired to shoot. Used it Indoors. It did great. I got great photos and the client doesn't know what came out of the E-3 or the E-420. The images are that good. So if you want 'pocketable', but you do want to compromise on Image Quality, then go ahead and pick this baby up. The likelihood of Buyer's Remorse is far smaller than this camera. After that, You just do one thing more. ...Enjoy.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Pretty Nice Camera
Comment: So I was deciding between this, the E510/520, Canon's line, and Sony's. The thing about Canon is it's more expensive, even while you get better quality photos. Also, you miss out on the bells and whistles this camera's got, with live view, dust reduction, better kit lens, etc. Sony would have been what I'd gone with, had size not been an issue. For some people, there won't be much of an issue with size, but since I preferred a small camera, the difference was massive; Sony's lines are great, but only because they make their cameras quite a bit large that Olympus's. Also, the E420 has a nice improvement in terms of image quality and noise over the old E410, (which I wouldn't have bought. Image quality was just too poor on that old model) and the E510, and to be honest, the difference between it and Sony becomes negligible in everyday outdoor use and party/occasional indoor use upon close-up inspection. For prints and smaller images, there is no difference in noise, and you can easily compensate for the occasional over/under exposure. Really, for me, I was looking for a camera that could take good pictures, be handy, and come with some nice extras. Olympus met all those brilliantly, as did Sony did minus the 'handy' part. If you're worried about quality, don't worry unless blown-up images are your main concern. Then you might even want to invest more than the E420's price range and get yourself a slightly more expensive SLR altogether. Oh, and I would have loved the E520 (which is not much bigger, all said and done), but it wasn't coming out on time. IS (Image Stabilization) is real handy for night and low-light indoor shots, and if you're in need of a camera for that, go ahead and get the E520, it just wasn't available when I bought the E420. Good buy so far, nice bang/buck!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sold my Canon XTi for this delightful *gem* of a camera. Love it!
Comment: I have had this E-420 with Zuiko 25mm Pancake for a month now and it is simply superb.
I sold my Canon XTi and SD700IS because I wanted a smaller/lighter system without sacrificing DSLR image quality. I got portability with my Canon P&S but not the image quality; I got DSLR image quality with the Canon DSLR but not the portability. The question was: What should I do? Well, the timing of the release of this camera/lens was perfect. And the choice to get this camera was the best choice I have made with regards to photography. Now I have the smallest, lightest DSLR camera in the world with great image quality to match any 10MP entry-level DSLR. Having owned this camera for over a month now, I have realised that I am taking 2-3 times more photographs than ever before simply because it is such a joy to take out-and-about (perfect for street photography) and the results I am getting are excellent. Want to see images from this combination? Have a look at my photostream: [...])
From using this camera, I am looking forward to exploring more of Olympus's infamous Zuiko lenses which are some of the best digital lenses in the industry. I tried the 12-60mm lens with the E-420 the other day and boy was the auto-focus speed fast! The continuous shooting is fast too: 3-4 shots (raw+super-fine jpegs) per second -- very impressive.
Because of this purchase my passion for photography has been ignited which is priceless in itself. Photography should be about taking photos without feeling restricted by what you hold in your hands. This camera gives me that freedom and confidence that I can take great photos wherever I am. Photography should be FUN! And it is certainly FUN to use this camera.
To conclude, do your research on the net on this camera and look at many photos. I am sure you will discover many other happy new owners of this camera. I have heard even some are using it not as a back-up to their pro gear but as a replacement because it is so portable! A great recommendation if ever you need one.
Happy camera hunting!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A great little camera
Comment: I have the e-410. The pictures are great. The camera handles well. I like the fact that I can carry it on a shoulder strap all day and not be tried of it. I have large hands, but don't find the camera to be too small for me to handle.
The other reviewer was correct in criticizing the focus assist strobe because it is slow. Turn that feature off and the camera will focus quickly with natural light.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This Camera is very slow
Comment: I you want the performance of a SLR in shooting and focusing DON'T BUY THIS CAMERA, the three point autofocus is practically useless in-door and in low light conditions, it takes forever for the autofocus to lock-in. and manual focusing is not accurate and difficult. Face Recognition and live view switching is also extremely slow. I am social photographer and this camera is very frustrating and dissapointing, the flashing on the subject to autofocus takes forever. Other systems in the same price range use 9 point autofocus , this camera only has 3 points. Also others use an constant light to illuminate on autofocus, this uses the pop flashing and it is practically useless. Outdoor image quality is very good. The liveview preview autofocus and face recognition is less effective than other inexpensive point and click cameras. Changes made to variables in the automode return back to default settings, therefore you have to change the shooting variables everytime you shoot. I believe Olympus must update the software soon, Images are consistently under exposed and out of focus in automode and overall response is slow when shooting on liveview mode.
Summary: Wonderful 'pocketable' dSLR
Comment: I have used nearly every OLYMPUS dSLR (exception being the E-300 & E-400). I use the Olympus E-3 for my paid work and find it a superb camera. But like many of you, I want a camera with SLR quality to carry around minus the weight of my workhorse E-3. Enter the E-420, an absolute jewel of a camera whose IQ is top notch especially when compared to its market segment (Canon Rebels, Nikon D40/D60/D80, Pentax K200D, etc.). The gradation is fantastic, rivaling even my E-3. And coupling this, the world's smallest dSLR body with the new Pancake lens (25mm f/2.8, equivalant to 50mm in Full Frame) and you have a near 'pocketable' (depends on the size of the pocket) dSLR capable of taking phenomenal photos. Now, is it a world beater? No. But it isn't meant to be. It is meant for folks who want SMALL, but for whom Image Quality MATTERS. And here, it scores a perfect 10 (or 5 STARS in this case). As to the negative comment about focus points (you want 51 focus points, go spend 5K on the Nikon D3... truly a great camera, but marketed to a different segment of shutterbugs). And I have no idea what the reviewer was talking about poor performance in low light (this is much more of a lens issue on any camera), all I can say is NONSENSE. It does fine. No better and certainly no worse than any of the other 20+ dSLRs I've shot with. In fact, I used it as a 2nd camera during a 50th wedding anniversary party I was hired to shoot. Used it Indoors. It did great. I got great photos and the client doesn't know what came out of the E-3 or the E-420. The images are that good. So if you want 'pocketable', but you do want to compromise on Image Quality, then go ahead and pick this baby up. The likelihood of Buyer's Remorse is far smaller than this camera. After that, You just do one thing more. ...Enjoy.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Pretty Nice Camera
Comment: So I was deciding between this, the E510/520, Canon's line, and Sony's. The thing about Canon is it's more expensive, even while you get better quality photos. Also, you miss out on the bells and whistles this camera's got, with live view, dust reduction, better kit lens, etc. Sony would have been what I'd gone with, had size not been an issue. For some people, there won't be much of an issue with size, but since I preferred a small camera, the difference was massive; Sony's lines are great, but only because they make their cameras quite a bit large that Olympus's. Also, the E420 has a nice improvement in terms of image quality and noise over the old E410, (which I wouldn't have bought. Image quality was just too poor on that old model) and the E510, and to be honest, the difference between it and Sony becomes negligible in everyday outdoor use and party/occasional indoor use upon close-up inspection. For prints and smaller images, there is no difference in noise, and you can easily compensate for the occasional over/under exposure. Really, for me, I was looking for a camera that could take good pictures, be handy, and come with some nice extras. Olympus met all those brilliantly, as did Sony did minus the 'handy' part. If you're worried about quality, don't worry unless blown-up images are your main concern. Then you might even want to invest more than the E420's price range and get yourself a slightly more expensive SLR altogether. Oh, and I would have loved the E520 (which is not much bigger, all said and done), but it wasn't coming out on time. IS (Image Stabilization) is real handy for night and low-light indoor shots, and if you're in need of a camera for that, go ahead and get the E520, it just wasn't available when I bought the E420. Good buy so far, nice bang/buck!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sold my Canon XTi for this delightful *gem* of a camera. Love it!
Comment: I have had this E-420 with Zuiko 25mm Pancake for a month now and it is simply superb.
I sold my Canon XTi and SD700IS because I wanted a smaller/lighter system without sacrificing DSLR image quality. I got portability with my Canon P&S but not the image quality; I got DSLR image quality with the Canon DSLR but not the portability. The question was: What should I do? Well, the timing of the release of this camera/lens was perfect. And the choice to get this camera was the best choice I have made with regards to photography. Now I have the smallest, lightest DSLR camera in the world with great image quality to match any 10MP entry-level DSLR. Having owned this camera for over a month now, I have realised that I am taking 2-3 times more photographs than ever before simply because it is such a joy to take out-and-about (perfect for street photography) and the results I am getting are excellent. Want to see images from this combination? Have a look at my photostream: [...])
From using this camera, I am looking forward to exploring more of Olympus's infamous Zuiko lenses which are some of the best digital lenses in the industry. I tried the 12-60mm lens with the E-420 the other day and boy was the auto-focus speed fast! The continuous shooting is fast too: 3-4 shots (raw+super-fine jpegs) per second -- very impressive.
Because of this purchase my passion for photography has been ignited which is priceless in itself. Photography should be about taking photos without feeling restricted by what you hold in your hands. This camera gives me that freedom and confidence that I can take great photos wherever I am. Photography should be FUN! And it is certainly FUN to use this camera.
To conclude, do your research on the net on this camera and look at many photos. I am sure you will discover many other happy new owners of this camera. I have heard even some are using it not as a back-up to their pro gear but as a replacement because it is so portable! A great recommendation if ever you need one.
Happy camera hunting!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A great little camera
Comment: I have the e-410. The pictures are great. The camera handles well. I like the fact that I can carry it on a shoulder strap all day and not be tried of it. I have large hands, but don't find the camera to be too small for me to handle.
The other reviewer was correct in criticizing the focus assist strobe because it is slow. Turn that feature off and the camera will focus quickly with natural light.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This Camera is very slow
Comment: I you want the performance of a SLR in shooting and focusing DON'T BUY THIS CAMERA, the three point autofocus is practically useless in-door and in low light conditions, it takes forever for the autofocus to lock-in. and manual focusing is not accurate and difficult. Face Recognition and live view switching is also extremely slow. I am social photographer and this camera is very frustrating and dissapointing, the flashing on the subject to autofocus takes forever. Other systems in the same price range use 9 point autofocus , this camera only has 3 points. Also others use an constant light to illuminate on autofocus, this uses the pop flashing and it is practically useless. Outdoor image quality is very good. The liveview preview autofocus and face recognition is less effective than other inexpensive point and click cameras. Changes made to variables in the automode return back to default settings, therefore you have to change the shooting variables everytime you shoot. I believe Olympus must update the software soon, Images are consistently under exposed and out of focus in automode and overall response is slow when shooting on liveview mode.
Olympus Evolt E420 10MP Digital SLR Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Lens Reviews: Page 2 of 2
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