Olympus E420 and E520 review by What Digital Camera magazine

[mrimproviser]

would this be to outdated to buy now?

[gercast82]

@mrimproviser I just bought the E-420 last week. Awesome piece of camera. And the quality of the photos are just great. I wasn't so sure to buy it at first, but after downloading the manual from the internet and check what the camera can do (e-420) I decided to buy it. For me, it's my first DSLR and I'm more than happy.

[mrimproviser]

@gercast82 this was really helpful, i might download the manual. Thank you very much :)

[FudgeNuggets2009]

I regret getting my nikon



[blackghost1094]

does this camera have shutter speed priority, apeture priority, iso... ect. i need shutter speed for light photos, so a speed of about 15 secs. thanks, can someone please get back

[ophirdog]

I've been very happy with my Olympus 510. I'm also impressed with how light and compact the new Olympus 4/3 lenses are..

[bLitz72]

the 420 is better when you're smoking marijuana 420 aww yeeee

[mooseling1]

I have a panasonic tz10 and am thinking of buying this. Ignore his at 0.44 about A3 size prints. I have printed with a 10mp photo not saved in RAW up to 33 inches, by 24 inches. And it looks fine.

[vrcraft]

@mooseling1

I printed buss size prints with the output from this camera. You can always super sample and with the current software is more logic to do it, than having a 25MP camera who takes 25MB raw pictures. Just as example, for what you can do and how much crap is in the market.

[haneater]

well i'm ivica stojkov

[vrcraft]

Hey folks, and Leica also has 4/3 bodies and lens. The smaller sensor story is crap made up by competition and biased websites. The 4/3 has a better shape than APS-C and so, you won-t have to crop the image much and the color aberrations are smaller. The 4/3 sensor is sharper, inf act as it's lens. Images from APS-C sensors need a lot of cropping, while 4/3 are a lot better. So, from a 15 MP aps-c sensor you'll end up using 10-12mp, while on 4/3 a good chance to use it all. Also with more height

[geoffart]

the thing I would say about this cam is perhaps, because it is small, and prob has a small sensor, it is more prone to noise at higher ISO.  But like I say, in image quality terms, its more down to optics, which can be the expensive part, whatever you spend on the body.

[Gogetatheultimatessj]

i am a digital photographer.. a newbie i might say. I <3 photography.. many ideeas.. shitty hardware.. iwant to buy a E520 .. is it as that bad as they say? like.. OUT OF DATE? the price is prty low thats why im buying it!

[geoffart]

no, its not a bad cam at all. Apparently, back in the old days (2000/01/02) when a cam came out, the old one was miles behind... but now, the difference between old and new is less (in terms of quality). I use an E420, and have had good enough pics for them to be used for commercial use. The only ting wrong with E420 is it lacks image stabilization, which is a pain in the butt, because always have to use tripod. Other than that, the quality dep on lens and skill of photographer.

[Gogetatheultimatessj]

thank you soo much for the response ^^ now i understand

[geoffart]

there is some good stuff online. I would reccommend 'photography blog' as they put the cams through their strides, and put them under stress to see how they handle. E420 is very small for DSLR, which is why I wanted it really. Of course, there are better performing bodies out there, but if I am unlikely to carry it because it is too big and heavy, then I am unlikely to have it to hand when I need it. E420 isnt the best, but it performs to acceptable standards, i think.

[vrcraft]

@Gogetatheultimatessj

No, is not OUT OF DATE. Olympus, like Leica, doesn't build cameras on conveyor belts like the others. The system is future proof and what's the point on flooding the market with tons of models, like nikon,canon,sony. Olympus is on another level, where quality is more important. Just go to a shop and touch all of the systems there. The photos you take, depends on you, but I can say, Olympus is quality. You also, need to know how to use it !

[Gogetatheultimatessj]

thanks for the response ^^

[JoNaShOeFi]

I Ordered it on monday...hopefully it'll come tomorrow ( saturday )...

[J40d]

Olympus sucks aaasss! and if you dislike this comment; your a novice who is in denial about their shitty little Olympus

[Rwmhos]

does anybody know how to remove (yes, remove!) the annoying strap lugs from the camera body? Can i unscrew them??

[l3tsb0n3]

I have the E-420, I highly suggest saving up for a better camera. Yes it does shoot really good, but with me I shoot faster action pictures, and it just doesn't live up to what I need. And you also don't have much that you can do with it.

[papermarioa]

I have a friend who bought a e420 he also said it was a poor camera.. You ONLY get what you pay for.

[geoffart]

not really. As mentioned above, this cam in terms of quality is good (if you know how to use a DSLR). Chances are that if he just bought his first DSLR, or even if he is new to this range, first pics will come out a bit rubbish to begin with. Look at the various reviews of this cam to see what the pros think of it, and whether getting later models makes a huge difference in image quality.

[socal1000]

since the 520 is new i would go with that one

the reasale of the 420 will drop crazy

or just buy an E-3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and 14-35 2.0 and 35-100 2.0

if your crazy loaded pick up the 90-250 2.8 also then you would have the best lens and camera and 10k less in your pocket

[Andyisnotmyname]

hey, if you're crazy loaded buy a hasselblad ;)

[aocuevas]

Nice review...I got one also (E-520). This is actually my 2nd dslr. I'm a Nikon d60 user before but I switch to Olympus because of the cam's live view w/c Nikon doesn't have. So far I'm enjoying my new gadget...next target is to purchase new lense (pancake will do).

[hejsanhejs]

hi! im thinking of buying a e-520(with 14-42 lens) or a e-420(with pancake lens). right now i can buy them for the same price at a local store..

what do you think? which is the better one? im a beginner..

is the e-520 much heavier and bigger than the e-420? what's the difference between them?

(=

[obskure1]

hi hejsanhejs,

to answer your question, each camera has its own benefits, both are excellent entry level cameras. i would PERSONALLY say that the e-520 w/14-42mm lens would give you more versatile use out of your camera. i used the lens for some wide angle and some portrait shots, it has worked out fine and the image stabilization definitely helps out a lot. however with the e-420 & panacake lens you get a small pocketable body with an f2.8 prime lens. i love my e-520 and plan on keeping it.

[hejsanhejs]

okay i see!

thanks a lot! (=

[nikepro911]

is ten mp enough???

[glydeuserhelp]

why is the olympus so unappreciated compared to canon and nikon this is a perfect competitor to them and it might be better

[vrcraft]

@glydeuserhelp

Because of the Canon/Nikon marketing machines who throw crap at everybody trying to channel the buyers to them, the only two options ! That's what they try to do on the market to make you believe that if it's not a canon, then is a Nikon, when you buy a camera and vice versa.

I played with Nikon and Canon and ended up using Olympus as it is truly a better camera and a better system, better lens, better built, cheaper, lighter, better colors, better users, not mediocre fellas.

[BogdanLeitan]

Great review. I have posted a video slideshow with some pictures taken with the E520 for those of u who are interested. Enjoy.

[shingami24]

I may choose e520.What's your sugestion ? e520 or e620 ??

[obskure1]

i have the olympus e-520. for the price i must say it's a fantastic camera. i plan to purchase the e-420 or maybe a 410 for a family member as a gift. i wonder if the new olympus camera coming in 2009 will be worth upgrading too.

[yomi1896]

Nice i also have the e-520.

The new DSLR mid line camera will be great to follow when more information on it comes out. It'll be nice to have some of the features as a E-3 in a more affordable, smaller body.

[hejsanhejs]

hi! im thinking of buying a e-520(with 14-42 lens) or a e-420(with pancake lens). right now i can buy them for the same price at a local store..

what do you think? which is the better one? im a beginner..

is the e-520 much heavier and bigger than the e-420? what's the difference between them?

(=

[twindesigner]

go with the E- 520 ..its better.