The new Olympus E-420..
So, the E-420 is finally in my hands and yes, this was picked up last Saturday from the shop on New Oxford Street, London. Of course there is no comparison to the E-3 but the little one can stand on its own and should be a useful second body to any event and photoshoot. This is a simple comparison between my old but still good E-500, the favourite E-3 and the baby E-420. Since I posted the specifications of the E-420 already here, I will only write about how it feels and how I like the photos. Of course, the photographs below were not taken in controlled conditions – they were taken from the shaded garden area so the passing of clouds will affect the images.
The E-420 is really tiny and light with only 380g (body only). For it’s weight, it feels well built. The compact camera users moving to this DSLR will not have a shocking discovery of a heavy camera bag to carry around. Because even with the twin lens kit (ED40-150mm and ED14-42mm lenses), it is still really light.
The screen is a tad bigger than the previous model and bright. The menu system is easy to understand specially if you already know some terms like WB, ISO, etc. It is still a good idea to read the manual and play with it. Like all new toys, before we get to enjoy it, we have to learn to use it properly.
E-420, manufacter setting: f3.5, ISO 100, 1/125sec, 35mm macro lens, natural light, Auto WB, manual mode, vivid (picture mode). Exported using Olympus Master 2.0
The photos are sharp and well detailed. I like how the colours are contrasted, they just pop!
I took the same picture with my E-3 and E-500 (see below). Both older cameras are configured so the image below are not taken with the default manufacturer settings.
E-3, Custom setting: 3.5, ISO 100, 1/125sec, 35mm macro lens, natural light, Auto WB, manual mode, vivid (picture mode). Exported using Olympus Master 2.0
E-500, Custom setting: 3.5, ISO 100, 1/125sec, 35mm macro lens, natural light, Auto WB, manual mode, vivid (picture mode). Exported using Olympus Master 2.0
At the moment, I am still getting to know the camera since the menus are a bit different from the E-500 and the E-3. Also, the buttons are arranged differently to make space for the bigger screen.
All the above photos are un-edited. If you look closely, you can see some differences between each but as is without edit, the photos are great.
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Olympus – E-420 Twin kit lens
Olympus E-3 (body only) from only £995
Tags: comparison, digital camera, dslr, e-420, Gadgets, non-technical comparison, Olympus, Olympus E-system
