Photo answers review
Photo answers rating 
Features & handling Some may be disappointed that resolution hasn’t improved beyond 10MP, but that’s hardly surprising considering that the Olympus professional flagship model, the E-3, only offers 10.1MP. The sensor has been improved though and now boasts a wider dynamic range than its predecessor, the E-410. Like most of the latest batch of D-SLRs, the E-420 offers Live View with full-time autofocus.
The LCD screen has increased to a 2.7in HyperCrystal display and you can really see the difference in terms of quality. Although the LCD screen doesn’t tilt like the one on its rival, the Sony a350, the E-420 comes with something equally impressive – Face Detection. When using the Live View function, the camera locks on to faces in a scene, adjusts focus and exposure, then uses Shadow Adjustment Technology (SAT) to ensure they’re sharp and correctly exposed.
Many of these new technologies were originally launched in the pro-spec E-3, including the facility to control a number of Olympus wireless off-camera flashguns. However, one thing that’s missing is Image Stabilisation. The only way to enjoy this technology would be to buy one of the few expensive Panasonic/Leica FourThirds lenses available, but these would look too large on board the diminutive E-420.
It’s great that most of the buttons can be customised – this is well above the average and is extremely handy considering there are so few buttons to begin with.
To say it’s a small camera would be an understatement. Although its tiny design might prove frustrating for some, in the right hands we think Olympus are onto something. Thankfully the grip has been improved and now makes the camera more comfortable to hold over longer periods. The only thing we’d like to see changed is the location of the strap toggles which currently cut into your hands or dangle awkwardly from your neck.
Performance While the write speeds from the E-420 aren’t exactly ground-breaking, they’re up there with the faster cameras on the market at the moment. At around 1.5 seconds for either a RAW or a JPEG, you won’t notice the camera lagging behind as you try to take pictures. In continuous mode you can shoot at 3.5fps (frames-per-second), which is great if you shoot JPEGs, as you can fill your card before the buffer runs out, but you can only squeeze out around 12 RAW files before the camera locks up. Many of the E-420’s competition outperform it here.
White balance is extremely accurate and is a vast improvement over the previous model. However, autofocus isn’t particularly fast and there are only three AF points. It’s only when using the Live View feature that you get the full 11 AF points offered by more advanced focus systems.
If you shoot JPEGs, the results look sharp with plenty of contrast straight out of the camera. As the sensor size is smaller on FourThirds cameras than on other D-SLRs, we weren’t surprised by the higher levels of noise, visible even at the lowest ISO. This increases progressively as you adjust sensor sensitivity to higher ISOs – disappointing.
In the E-420’s defence, the noise isn’t multi-coloured like many of its rivals but is more like luminance noise.
Face Detection technology has cropped up on plenty of cameras recently but it’s not often that you can actually see the difference it makes. Not only is the E-420 more likely to lock onto faces that aren’t perfectly aligned with the lens axis, but when coupled with Shadow Adjustment Technology (SAT), results are better than the competition can offer, too.
Verdict This is what a FourThirds camera should be like – small and lightweight and the perfect choice for those who prefer to travel light. Most significant improvement is the addition of the very effective Live View function and it’s this that makes the E-420 a superb holiday and travel camera.
The price of the E-420 (£329 body only) is actually extremely competitive and should be looked at long and hard by those wanting manual features in a compact. Compare it to the Nikon D60 (£389 body only) and the Sony a200 (£339 body only) – both cameras are not only bigger and heavier, but they don’t offer the compositional assistance of Live View, either.
Impressively, the E-420 offers the best of both worlds – the size of a compact but with most of the features of a D-SLR. Even the lenses themselves are tiny, so the whole kit takes up no space, making it great for slipping in your pocket or a small bag wherever you go. Without a doubt, the E-420 is the best D-SLR on the market for taking with you when kit needs to be kept to a minimum. Owners of other camera brands should take note of this pocket-sized gem.
Product Specifications
| Weight/size (WxHxD) |
380g/130x91x53mm
|
| Effective resolution |
10MP |
| Lens mount |
FourThirds |
| Focal length conversion |
2x |
| Aspect ratio |
4:3 |
| LCD monitor size |
2.7in + Live View |
| File formats |
JPEG, RAW (ORF)
|
| Card type |
CF, xD |
| Exposure modes |
Auto, program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, manual and 18 scene modes |
| Metering modes |
ESP light-metering, spot, centre-weighted, highlight & shadow metering
|
| Autofocus |
Three-point (11-point using contrast AF in Live View)
|
| ISO range |
100-1600 |
| Battery type |
1x BLS-1 Lithium-ion |
| Software supplied |
Olympus Master 2.0 |
| Start-up time |
Less than one second |
| Write times |
1.6secs (RAW), 1.3secs (JPEG) |
| Shutter speed range |
60 seconds to 1/4000sec + bulb
|
| Flash sync |
1/180sec (1/4000sec Super FP Mode)
|
| Continuous shooting speed |
3fps for 12 (RAW) or until the memory runs out
|