Olympus E-420 Review

The E-420 comes with Olympus's tried-and-proven SSWF dust reduction system. However, the sensor-shift stabilisation provided with the E-510 and new E-520 models remains absent in the entry-level camera. Other features unchanged from the E-410 include the sensor resolution and the top sensitivity setting of ISO 1600.

The menu interface on the E-420 has been refined with a re-designed Super Control Panel that makes it easier to change camera settings. Although on first glance it looks complex and cluttered, once you've learned where everything is, using the Super Control Panel becomes quick and intuitive. To launch the Super Control Panel you simply press the Info button beside the LCD.

This displays the following information: shooting mode, ISO, flash mode and compensation, memory media installed/selected, image quality, AF mode and area, metering, continuous shooting status, white balance and compensation, picture mode, sharpness, contrast, gradation, saturation, color space, face detection status, and number of shots available on the memory card. To adjust a function, simply press the OK button on the arrow pad then use the arrow buttons to navigate to the setting you wish to change. Press OK again and make the required adjustment using the arrow buttons. Another press of the OK button locks in the new setting.

Eighteen scene pre-sets are provided to help novice photographers who are transitioning from a digicam to a DSLR. Shutter speeds range from two to 1/4000 second in Auto mode or 60 to 1/4000 second in the P, A, S, and M modes and you can set Bulb exposures of up to 30 minutes in Manual mode for night photography.
Dark-frame-subtraction noise reduction kicks in automatically for shutter speeds of four seconds or slower, doubling processing times. You can set the processing level to either Standard or High with the Noise Filter control. No specific high-ISO noise-reduction control is provided but the High setting is recommended for high ISO shots.

Margaret Brown

more : photoreview