March 13th, 2008
Olympus E-420: First Point and Shoot SLR
By Alice Hill
RealTechNews
It looks like the body of an SLR camera minus the lens– until you take a closer look. The new Olympus E-420 uses a super thin “pancake” lens to create a new hybrid camera - the point and shoot SLR.
Weighing only 13.4 ounces, the E-420 is a tad smaller than traditional SLR designs on the market today, but it packs a 10 megapixel sensor, and lets you frame a photo with the the viewfinder as well as the live view panel on the back of the camera. Nice! But the best part (if you like the concept) is the innovative pancake lens - a super thin .9 inch lens that provides a traditional 50-millimeter angle of view. Note: Olympus also released the first digital SLR with a live view monitor, the EVOLT E-330. Here is a hands-on review from a high end SLR user and his take on why this feature is actually useful.
Other notables: The camera is 5 inches wide and 2 inches thick, putting it within pocket range, and it prices under $1,000. $700 for the pancake lens version, $500 minus any lens, and $600 for the camera body plus a 14-42-millimeter lens. Source: NYT
Our Take: Looks cool, but the almost-but-not-quite styling may mean it gets a lot of stares, but stays on the store shelf. Would you buy one?
jason says:
Sony DSC-D770, I had one, it was SLR. Optical viewfinder looked directly thorugh the lens.
I bought it before the year 2002. So your article is incorrect in it’s title.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Dan Birchall says:
The “high-end” user who wrote the linked review evidently has the luxury of composing shots at his leisure, which makes moot all of the *speed* advantages DSLRs have over point-and-shoots - faster power-on, negligible shutter lag, more frames per second in motor drive. We’ve long had point-and-shoots with flip-out screens, but I’ll be looking closely at how *fast* this Olympus is (and how fast the glass available for it is) before deciding whether it deserves the “DSLR” title.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Rob says:
@Dan
I don’t consider f2.8 very fast for a normal lens.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
John says:
We sell this camera at the big box retailer I work at.
Compared to the Rebel XT or D40 in the same price range it takes sub-standard pictures.
That might be the result from using a CCD 1/3 smaller than the XT or D40.
March 13th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
John Bong Jovi says:
420!
March 13th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Mike says:
The “pancake” lens is not innovative. It has been done by several manufacturers over the years. Pentax currently has 3 in their lineup.
March 14th, 2008 at 4:55 am
leo says:
@Rob
???
f2.8 not fast.
There aren’t any zoom lenses faster than that for any dslr!
F1.2 prime lenses are the fastest on the market.
March 14th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Losing Faith In This Site! says:
Olympus is crap, a Department Store brand at best….. More “Bleeding Edge” (NOT!) technology items on this site that are marginal, at best!
Verify what you list on this site before you list it, the premise of this article is incorrect.
March 14th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Max says:
OMG!! Some people dont have a clue. Take a closer look at the 410/20 or 510…How much are they? $550/$650 and they come with 2 lenses (for those prices) and if you take a little time you will see that they are sometimes better than the XTI or D40x for alot less money. Olympus also makes 60% of all medical optiocal equip and they still do a great job on these DSLR’s.
http://www.dpreview.com
www.cameralabs.com
March 17th, 2008 at 5:30 am
Фотокамеры Olympus says:
Цифровой фотоаппарат Olympus E-420 Body…
Матрица фотокамеры Olympus E-420 Body
Общее число пикселов: 11.8 млн
Число эффективных пикселов: 10 млн
Физический размер: 17.3 x 13.0 мм
Максимальное раз…
September 4th, 2008 at 8:01 am