Olympus E-620

In a lot of ways, the Olympus E-620 is a very appealing camera, providing nearly all the key features of the company’s E-30 model at a $600 lower price. The two cameras share a 12.3-megapixel resolution, a pivoting LCD screen that provides the freedom to shoot at odd angles with ease, and a set of six Art Filters that make adventurous beginners look like Photoshop masters. The E-620 is much smaller than the E-30, which for many users is a big plus, providing improved portability. And the E-620 offers a strong novice-to-sophisticated user path, with an effective auto mode and lots of Scene Modes for newcomers and an extensive array of customization options for experienced users wanting to tailor the shooting experience to their personal preferences.

The results of our lab testing, though, throw some cold water on our initial enthusiastic response. Color accuracy is first-rate, resolution is good, and the burst rate is a solid 4 frames per second, but as with the E-30 before it, image noise is our biggest concern. We found it easily visible even in photos taken in decent lighting conditions, and intrusive when the lights are low. Yes, you can pump up the noise reduction filter to remove some of the intrusive speckling, but the high levels necessary to accomplish this takes a heavy toll in lost image detail.

Performance

Color accuracy surpassed the other four cameras we used for comparison purposes, a strong start to our testing. Resolution didn’t test as well as the E-30, but was quite respectable, with low distortion and chromatic aberration that’s particularly impressive given the inexpensive kit lens used. The problem areas we uncovered are all related to image noise, and they’re significant. Dynamic range, the ability to maintain detail in both light and dark areas of a photo, suffers when image noise obscures those details. Our long exposure testing combines color accuracy and image noise measurements, and the noise is what dragged down the E-620 score. And when it came to straight noise testing under bright studio lights, noise is clearly visible even at relatively low ISO levels, enough to be visible in all but the smallest image reproduction.

Hardware

There’s a lot to like here; a solidly constructed camera that’s small but still substantial, with an articulated LCD that works well at a variety of angles and different lighting conditions. The Live View screen doesn’t keep up with fast panning as well as the E-30 does, though. While Olympus continues to support its antiquated xD memory card system, the E-620 also accepts CompactFlash cards, so there’s a problem averted.

Controls

The camera is easy to simply pick up and shoot, but those who prefer to tailor settings to fit their personal preferences will find a full complement of customizability options. Bracketing is provided not just for exposure but also flash, white balance and ISO, a welcome convenience. The extensive selection of scene modes will help newcomers adjust to different shooting conditions without tinkering with manual settings, and the six Art Filters are a fun way to experiment with visual effects with no fuss at all.

Sample Photos

In the following sample images, clicking on the larger image will download the full resolution original. Each photo is accompanied by four actual-size crops.

Cityscape Sample
				Focal length: 14mm Aperture: f/4.5 Shutter: f/125 ISO: 200 Shot in Times Square looking downtown on a rainy afternoon, with spot metering and the exposure cranked up 0.7 stops to combat the gloomy lighting. Even in subdued lighting the color reproduction is both bright and accurate, and there’s good sharpness from curb to curb.

Art Filters Samples
	Focal length: 28mm Aperture: f/125 Shutter: 1/125 ISO: 100 We experimented with the six Art Filters by shooting the elaborately painted delivery van of our favorite local rib joint using each filter in turn. The image shown at right was shot in straight program mode for comparison purposes.
	Pop Art
	Soft Focus
	Pale & Light Color
	Light Tone
	Grainy Film
	Pin Hole

ISO 1600 Sample
	Focal length: 42mm Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter: 1/50 ISO: 1600 To explore the relationship between noise reduction setting and image detail, we shot this clock on a tripod, with indoor incandescent lighting, at a consistent ISO. Each close-up slice below indicates the noise filter setting used.
	Noise Reduction Off
	Noise Reduction Low
	Noise Reduction Standard
	Noise Reduction High

Waterfront Sample
				Focal length: 14mm Aperture: f/10 Shutter: 1/320 ISO: 200 Shot on the south shore of Long Island on a cloudy day, with evaluative metering in aperture priority mode, to achieve the depth of field we wanted and white balance set to auto. There’s some softness along the edges here, but overall it’s a well-balanced, nicely detailed shot.

Close-Up Sample
				Focal length: 42mm Aperture: f/11 Shutter: 1/160 ISO: 100 We shot our subject in indirect sunlight using Portrait mode to bring out her lovely skin tones, in shutter priority mode to balance handheld shooting stillness with a deep enough aperture to capture details cleanly. We’re impressed by the fine gradation in the cheek coloring captured here, and the level of detail, which reveals the fabric texture and wear and tear on the plastic eyeball.

Long Exposure Sample
				Focal length: 18mm Aperture: f/3.9 Shutter: 2 seconds ISO: 800 To explore the camera’s long exposure performance we shot this still life in a dimly lit room, illuminated by moderate sunlight through closed shades, after taking a manual white balance reading. We maintained a 2-second exposure time and changed ISO to 800, 1600 and 3200 in turn, shooting in Program mode, with noise reduction set at standard level. As expected, image noise rises quickly in this dark location, and detail suffers because of the aggressive noise reduction setting, but colors shifted very little across the ISO range, producing an image at ISO 800 that’s usable at small sizes.

Olympus E-620 Specs
Type	Compact SLR / System
Focal Length Minimum	14.0 mm
Focal Length Maximum	42.0 mm
Still Pixel Count (gross)	13.1 megapixels
Still Pixel Count (effective)	12.3 megapixels
Sensor Size	Micro Four Thirds
Sensor Type - New	CMOS
Aspect Ratios	4:3
Original Price	699.99 $
Height	93.98 mm
Width	129.794 mm
Depth	59.944 mm
Weight	475.15 g
Model Colors	black
Display Type	LCD
Display Size	2.7 in.
Display Resolution	230000 pixels
Viewfinder Type	optical
Viewfinder Magnification	0.96 x
Viewfinder Coverage	95.0 % coverage
Diopter Adjustment - New	-3.0 to +1.0m^-1
Media New	CompactFlash Type I/II (UDMA), Microdrive, xD-Picture Card (Dual Slot)
Connectivity Options	USB, A/V, hot accessory shoe
Battery Type	removable lithium-ion
Battery Model Number	BLS-1
Mirror Technology (Interchangeable Lens)	DSLR
Waterproof	No
Manual Controls	manual focus, aperture priority mode, shutter priority mode, full manual exposure, custom white balance, ISO control
ISO Options	100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
Minimum ISO	100
Maximum ISO	3200

Olympus E-620 Scores
Rating	Score	Weighting
Color Score	17.86	9.0
Color Modes Score	4.0	1.0
Long Exposure Score	7.91	4.0
Noise Score	5.36	9.0
ISO Options Score	5.5	1.5
Sharpness Score	11.13	6.0
Chromatic Aberration Score	8.38	3.0
Picture Options Score	12.6	0.5
Dynamic Range Score	3.44	6.0
Stabilization Score	5.81	5.0
Auto White Balance Score	6.93	4.0
Custom White Balance Score	4.94	2.0
White Balance Features Score	9.0	0.5
Playback Mode Score	7.0	1.5
In-Camera Editing Score	4.25	0.5
Software Score	5.0	0.5
Direct Print Features Score	4.0	0.5
Sensor Score	2.0	1.0
Viewfinder Score	6.0	1.5
LCD Score	6.9	2.5
Flash Score	6.75	1.0
Lens Mount Score	6.5	1.5
Battery Score	6.0	1.0
Memory Score	4.0	1.0
Connectivity Score	2.0	1.0
Other Hardware Score	0.0	0.5
Shooting Modes Scores	10.5	1.0
Live View Score	2.75	2.0
Scene Modes Score	9.0	0.5
Picture Effects Score	5.75	0.5
Focus Score	11.75	1.5
Exposure Score	5.5	1.0
DOF Preview Score	1.0	0.5
Metering Score	6.5	1.0
Shutter Speed Score	10.0	1.0
Self-Timer Score	3.0	1.0
Other Controls Score	0.0	0.5
Handling Score	7.0	2.5
Controls Score	10.75	2.5
Menu Score	7.0	2.0
Manual Score	4.5	1.0
Shot to Shot Score	4.0	3.0
Drive and Burst Modes Score	9.5	1.0
Video Color Score	0.0	1.25
Video Sharpness Score	0.0	1.25
Video Motion Score	0.0	0.63
Video Noise Score	0.0	0.63
Video Controls Score	0.0	1.2
Video Low Light Sensitivity Score	0.0	0.95
Video Low Light Color Score	0.0	0.78
Video Low Light Noise Score	0.0	0.78
Video Compression Score	0.0	0.95
Video Audio Score	0.0	0.3
Video Handling Score	0.0	0.73
Color Other Features Rating	0.0	0.5
Noise Other Features Rating	0.0	0.5
Playback Other Features Rating	0.0	0.5
Resolution Other Features Rating	0.0	0.5
Design & Handling Other Rating	0.0	0.5
Total:	668