CAMERA, EVOLT E-420 W/14-42MM, 10MP,

Technical Details

-10-megapixel CMOS sensor captures enough detail for photo-quality 18 x 24-inch prints
-2.7-inch Live View HyperCrystal II LCD screen
-TruePic III for superior image quality in all lighting situations; exclusive dust-free technology for spot-free photos
-Lightweight ergonomic design; kit includes 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko lens
-Stores images on CF, Micro Drive, or xD Picture Cards (not included)
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 "Wanted to love it" 2010-04-21
By MoonPye (Hawley, PA USA)
I really wanted to love this camera, despite not being impressed at all right out of the box of the plastic body that to me seemed cheap-looking. The features were outstanding and the menus were easy to navigate. I loved that it takes two different kinds of memory cards. I just wasn't happy with the picture quality in the auto mode... the lighting always seemed to be off, whether I tried shooting indoors or out. I was spending more time editing & adjusting the pictures than it took to download them off the camera. I had problems with over AND under exposure. Details were not as sharp as my little point & shoot Canon (which I was upgrading from). Plus, it was on sale at Walmart and the price was phenomenal.... but I just couldn't get past the lack of quality on the images. I finally returned it and opted to stay with the tried & true Canon brand and ordered an XS instead, and this will be my 5th or 6th Canon... I should have just stuck with what I know.


 "The world's smallest (and cheapest) digital SLR." 2010-04-04
By P. Langham
I bought this refurbished camera with the kit lens for $320 from Amazon/Adorama. It arrived in five days.

First, the bad news...

--Saying the E-420 is the world's smallest dSLR is like winning the prize for "the world's lightest 200 pound supermodel". This is not a small camera. Play with one before you buy it because there is no way this camera is fitting into any pocket.
--Image quality is slightly soft (but can be turned sharp by turning off the noise filter).
--Very cramped viewfinder at about 50% magnification (apparent size of things is halved). In addition, critical info is places to the right of the viewfinder.
--Poor ergonomics between shutter, aperture, ISO via a single multifunctional dial. Please, Olympus, give us two dials.
--Somewhat slow autofocus in poor light (but very fast if you know what you're doing and read the helpful instructional manual).
--Poor resolution LCD but if you're like me you just use the LCD to check highlights then you won't care.
--No mechanical image stabilization. IS is most useful in the critical 1/4 to 1/125 shutter speed. I find myself there a lot so it would be nice to have.
--Compactflash only.
--Poor battery life at ~150 shots (but can be doubled with $10 aftermarket rechargeable).

Now for the good news...
--Its a real dSLR! You're just not going to find any dSLR at this price range and its build quality absolutely doesn't feel cheap.
--Smaller than any other dSLR. Other dSLR's feel enormous.
--100% viewfinder coverage? You take the picture and there's no cropping. You get what you see.
--Really good kit lens.
--Very fast operation...if you read the manual and practice. Otherwise, like most cameras of this sort, if you don't have a fundamental understand of the compromises between shutters speed, aperture, and ISO then the camera just pukes on you if you ask it to do something unreasonable.
--Smart flash with a great number of options. I'd still recommend a more powerful external flash (I use a tl20) for daylight photography.
--Super-fast and easy adjustable exposure compensation.
--Fast white-balance adjustment (but might take two button clicks and eyes off the prize to set it).

If you're getting into SLR photography and you don't want to spend a lot of money then this is the camera to get. This is not an easy camera to use but if you read the manual and practice with it then the camera is very fast. You can work really fast with the buttons...there's no delay at all.


 "Takes great pictures if you learn how to use it" 2010-01-11
By M. D. Gibson
I have owned this camera (Olympus E-420) for over a year now and have been very pleased with its performance.
The picture and color quality is FANTASTIC and digital noise is very very low in conditions with low light, so long as I stick to the 'low key' constrast setting.
I share the same complaint of the user giving this camera 1 star...the autofocus fails to focus at times if I'm shooting in a dark setting. I work around this problem by keeping the camera on a single point autofocus setting and - gasp - just pointing the camera at the thing I want to focus on. In other words, the multipoint autofocus is slow but not usually necessary, especially if you're used to using an SLR.


 "Small enough with bold pictures" 2010-01-07
By Samuel Bass (san francisco, ca)
I love this camera its compact light and easy to use. I have nothing to say about it other than the options could be a bit greater but the price versus the options is really exceptional.


 "My first digital SLR" 2009-12-22
By Walter Lesus (Chicago, Illinois)
... and I'm very happy with my purchase. One of the least expensive out there with 10 megapixs or more and it does everything. This will keep me happy for quite a while. If you want to start out and not spend an arm and a leg, this is for you.


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