Ladies and gentleman, the lightweight E-420 has arrived. But can it beat the competition?
Olympus have called the E-420, the world’s thinnest and smallest digital SLR camera on the market. That's quite a claim. Indeed, an overly thin DSLR may not be to everybody's liking, as most camera enthusiasts will claim that a decent DSLR should include a heavy, stable body to counter unnecessary picture shake.
Recently, PCA online had a closer look at the 14.2 megapixel A350 and the 10 megapixel A200 model from Sony. Those cameras boasted excellent specs, a decent price range and standard DSLR weights of 532grams for the A200 and 582 grams for the A350.
However, the E-420 comes in at a feather fighting weight of just 380 grams. To some people, that may just be what the gadget doctor ordered. That is a massive drop of over 200 grams compared with the standard DSLR competitor. Adding to the E-402 is a 10 megapixel live CMOS sensor and a TruePic III processing engine, which promises innovative design with excellent shoot quality.
And while the latest E-420 is said to be both lighter and smaller than other DSLR cameras, will this translate to sales for Olympus? Companies such as Canon and Sony have already started to incorporate variations on most of the picture technologies that the new Olympus camera is offering, so size may play a determining factor overall.
The unique AF light view function enables auto focusing based on contrast detection. Optimized shadow and facial technologies are bound to please the hordes of weekend warriors who want to capture and preserve their memories with the help of a new ‘Perfect shot Preview’ that allows users to compare the results of various effects before actual shooting.
Olympus is also releasing the Zuiko Digital 25mm f2.8 lens to compliment the E-420 and according to specs released, will be fully compliant with the Four Thirds System DSLR design standard that the E-420 is trumpeting.
The E-420 is said to ship at US$499 (body only) in the US later this year. With the way the Aussie dollar is going against the greenback, perhaps we can expect a similar price when the unit finally ships to stores here.