Features
As the world’s smallest digital SLR, the Olympus E-420 packs a lot of features into a compact, lightweight camera body. It has nearly everything you’d expect from a DSLR – a 10-megapixel sensor, a 2.7-inch LCD, Live View with auto focus, Face Detection technology, a Dust Reduction system, and a full range of exposure modes from auto to manual. In addition to JPEGs, it can also capture RAW images for those who want maximum control and the best possible image quality. Olympus’s new “Shadow Adjustment Technology” promises to get more detail out of highlights and shadows with in-camera image adjustment.
The one feature compromised in the E-420 is Olympus’s sensor-level Image Stabilization. So photos taken with the E-420 are more likely to suffer from camera shake-induced blur than photos taken with other Olympus DSLRs.
The exposure mode dial on the top of the camera offers Scene, Night Portrait, Sport, Macro, Landscape, Portrait, Auto, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual. Setting the dial to Scene reveals 18 scene modes optimized for everything from Portrait and Landscape to Sport, Macro and Fireworks. Beach and Snow are combined in one scene mode, which makes a lot of sense to me – why don’t more camera manufacturers do this? Two scene modes I find interesting are High Key and Low Key, which enhance light and dark areas respectively. Navigating through the scene modes displays a large, color image illustrating each scene mode – for example, a cityscape for Night Scene. A moment’s hesitation on a scene mode brings up a thumbnail version of the image and an easy-to-read, one or two-sentence description. Landscape + Portrait mode, says, “For shooting both main subject and background. Vivid reproduction of blues and greens.”
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| Left: Olympus E-420 scene mode display. Right: wait a moment and a description of the scene mode appears. |
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The E-420′s three-point auto focus system allows shooting in single shot and continuous auto focus. Focus points can either be individually selected or you can allow the camera to choose the subject.
Camera Menus
 Olympus E-420 main menu |
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 Olympus E-420 playback display |
 Olympus E-420 playback with RGB histogram |
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 Olympus E-420 playback with histogram overlay |
Design
The Olympus E-420 is a wonderfully comfortable camera. As far as I’m concerned, it perfectly hits the sweet spot between small and substantial. I have large-ish hands for a woman, but lugging around a heavy pro digital SLR all day would make my wrists give out in no time. Even after carrying and shooting with the E-420 for hours at a time, my hands and wrists felt fine. The camera’s light weight – 13.4 ounces — also makes it comfortable worn around the neck.
At first glance, the E-420′s matte black body appears to be built out of metal, but closer inspection reveals the material is hard plastic. Olympus tells us that the body is made up of both metal and high impact polycarbonate plastic – pretty standard for today’s consumer-level digital SLRs. The right-hand grip is rubber.
The camera’s controls are comfortable and intuitive. The various buttons and dials on the top and rear of the camera are labeled well and function easily. I really appreciate the ease of the LCD “Super Control Panel.” (See right) Just press the OK button and the use the arrow pad to quickly change settings like ISO, white balance, focus mode, metering mode, flash, and even color and image quality settings.
The 2.7-inch LCD is crisp, vivid and easier than most to see in bright sunlight or from an angle. The optical viewfinder is adequately sized and covered with a removable rubber eyecup. There’s a built-in pop-up flash, as well as a hot shoe if you want to use an external flash.
The camera comes with three separate instruction manuals in English, Spanish and French. They are small but thorough, and I can vouch that the English version is clear and easy to understand.
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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.
Thank you very much for the kind words and sharing your thoughts. I confess I’m sad to have to send this camera back!
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…
Very interesting comment nafim!!!
I also own an FZ7K.
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.
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.
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.
soy una vara caliente y ya tengo una de estas…
Que?
do nto buy the 18-180 olympus lens john. its slow and very soft. I was disappointed and took it back.
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.
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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.
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.