Olympus D-425

Viewfinder (0.0)
There is no viewfinder on the Olympus D-425 which means that the user will have to rely upon the 1.5-inch, 85,000-pixel LCD entirely for all image selection choices. The LCD had a bit of a problem with glare during shooting and a viewfinder would have helped reduce the significance of such a problem in strongly lit situations such as direct sunlight. Staying within the Olympus line, and for under US $200, shoppers can find the Olympus D-595 online equipped both with a real image optical viewfinder and a 3x optical zoom. This choice may be a better option for users who find glare issues with the D-425 to be problematic.

LCD Screen (3.0)
The Olympus D-425 contains an undersized 1.5-inch TFT LCD screen composed of just 85,000 pixels. The LCD experienced some problems with glare in strong lighting and is unfortunately unavoidable without a viewfinder. Postproduction editing on personal computers may be the best venue for deciding whether it’s worth it to print a given image, since this petite LCD tends to not represent subtle nuances with accuracy. This problem makes the Olympus D-425 less and less feasible as a direct print camera. If direct printing from the camera is wanted, perhaps the Canon PowerShot A400 is a more suitable option within the price range. The A400 contains an identically sized 1.5-inch LCD, but it is made up of 115,000 pixels for higher resolution images, and it is available with a real image zoom viewfinder.

Flash (6.0)
The flash on the Olympus D-425 is actually controllable by the user, even when the camera is set in auto mode. The flash settings for the camera are accessed through the up arrow on the four-way controller and present the user of the D-425 with the following options: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction Fill in, and Off. The flash range is between 0.7 feet and 9.8 feet. There is a six second delay between when the camera is turned on and when the flash is charged. This delay can mean that low light situations where a fast photo is needed will not be possible. In most basic portrait or travel situations though, this delay will most likely be less of an issue, although waiting for the flash to engage every time the camera returns from sleep mode can be time consuming and bothersome.

Zoom Lens (3.0)
The Olympus D-425 does not contain optical zoom, forcing those users looking to alter the perspective to rely solely upon the 4x digital zoom. Those users unfamiliar with digital zoom should be aware that digital zoom exponentially degrades quality - each time the image is magnified, the quality is decreased. The fixed lens on the D-425 is 6.1mm, which is equivalent to a 36.7mm lens on a 35mm camera. The lens is made up of 4 groups with 3 aspherical elements.

If the low quality of digital zooms is of concern, or if taking both landscape and portraits are desired, potential consumers may wish to seek other alternatives. The Olympus D-535 sells online for the same price as the D-425 and allows the user the opportunity to engage a 3x optical zoom before the 4x digital zoom.