Olympus E-620

	Playback Summary
• Generous variety of playback mode displays • Unwanted views can be eliminated from toggle sequence via custom menu • In-camera multiple exposure creation works well • Olympus Master 2 software better than most bundled programs • PictBridge offers two direct-print options, one very basic, one more flexible
	Sample Photos	Page 8 of 17	Hardware

Playback Mode (7.00)

When reviewing your photos in playback mode, five different types of information display are available, cycled through by pressing the INFO button, as shown below. The Image Only, Overall, Histogram and Highlight & Shadow views can be eliminated from the sequence if you prefer, via the Custom menu.

Playback Displays
Image Only Shows a single image on an otherwise clean screen.	Simplified Information Overlays information on image size and compression setting, file name and number in sequence, storage location (xD or CompactFlash) and date and time taken.	Detailed Information Complete shooting information display, including direct print and protection status, shooting mode, aperture and shutter speed, focal length, ISO, exposure and flash compensation, WB settings, metering mode, color space, color mode, file format and compression setting, file name and location and image number in sequence. Luminance and RGB histograms are also displayed.
Histogram Overlays a luminance histogram over the bottom of the image.	Highlight & Shadow Overexposed areas blink in red, underexposed areas blink in blue.	Magnified View Turning the control dial to the right while in playback mode zooms in on the image, with magnification up to 14x in six steps.
Index View Turning the control dial to the left during playback takes you to a series of thumbnail image displays, with 4, 9, 16, 25, 49 and 100 photos shown on each screen.	Calendar View After running through the index view screens, calendar view appears, with all the photos on the current memory card sorted by date taken..	Light box Pressing the autofocus select button  while in single-frame playback brings up a split-screen display. Two images can be shown side by side, magnified and scrolled in sync for comparison purposes.

When reviewing photos on screen, the right and left buttons in the four-way controller group move forward or back one picture at a time. Pressing the top button jumps you back ten pictures, and pressing the down button jumps forward ten pictures. The control dial is used to manage image magnification, increasing from 2x to 14x enlargement in six steps when you turn the dial right. Turn it left when a single photo is on-screen and you get a series of thumbnail display screens.

There is a rudimentary slideshow capability, with no audio background or effects between images, and no control over the length of time each photo is displayed or which shots will be included. The only user control is the option to show 1, 4, 8, 16, 25, 49 or 100 photos per slideshow screen.

You have the usual option to set the length of time a picture is shown on the LCD right after you take it, from 1 second to 20 seconds, or to turn off instant review altogether. An additional choice here strikes us as interesting, though; you can set the camera to switch to playback mode with your image displayed after each shot. This lets you linger over an image without having it disappear when the timer expires, cycle through the different playback views available by pressing the INFO button, and delete an unwanted image instantly, an option that's unavailable while in image review. You can still jump back to record mode quickly by touching the shutter button, so this strikes us as a viable custom setting.

By default, image display is rotated automatically when you hold the camera vertically during playback. It's unfortunate that the same internal sensor used to accomplish this minimally useful feat wasn't also employed to pivot the LCD information display while shooting, a feature we particularly liked when shooting with the Sony A900.

There's a nice little customization option regarding image deletion procedure. Like most cameras, by default the Olympus pops up a confirmation message when you hit the Erase button, requiring you to then move the on-screen cursor to confirm your selection. You have the option, though, of eliminating this confirmation message and using one-button delete, a much faster way to banish ugliness from your memory card.

In-Camera Editing (4.25)

A handful of in-camera image editing features are provided. Working with JPEG files, shadow adjustment brings out details in dark or backlit images. Redeye fix attempts to automatically repair the glowing retina problem. Photos can be cropped to two horizontal and two vertical sizes, but there's minimal flexibility here. Images can be converted to black and white or sepia, and saturation can be adjusted in 10 steps. Files can be converted to lower-resolution versions, with 1280 x 960, 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 the three available options. Finally, photos can be trimmed to a different aspect ratio (3:2, 16:9 or 6:6), using the 4-way controller to determine the crop position.

Shadow adjustment during playback
helps bring up lost shadow detail.

With RAW files, up to three images can be superimposed to create a multiple exposure. After the photos are selected, they are overlaid with equal intensity and displayed on screen. At this point you can raise or lower the gain on each image, previewing the effect live after each adjustment. And if a three-image sandwich isn't enough to sate your photographic appetite, you can save the result of your three-image combination in RAW format, then use it as one layer of an additional multiple exposure combination.

Software (5.00)

The E-620 comes with a CD offering a full version of a single program, Olympus Master 2, plus a trial versions of Olympus Studio 2 (it costs $99 to unlock the full version). Both Windows and Mac versions are provided.

Software

Olympus Master 2 Generally the only reason we load a manufacturer's software is to read the company-specific file info not available through a simple EXIF data scan and to open RAW files, both of which Olympus Master 2 handles well, but this program also offers better-than-usual editing options (including distortion correction, tone curve and gamma adjustment), index page printing and  multi-photo ganged printing on a single sheet of paper.

Direct Print Options (4.00)

The Olympus E-620 supports the two standard computer-free printing options, direct connection via USB to a PictBridge-compatible printer and creation of a DPOF (Direct Print Order Form) file for placing an order with a professional output service. In both cases, the system is simple and clear, with appropriate options available. The two-tier PictBridge system (Easy Print and Custom) is unusual, and welcome.

Direct Print Options
	PictBridge There are two PictBridge modes, selectable via the Custom menu. The Easy Print setting lets you simply choose an image on screen and print a single copy, using the standard printer settings. The other choice, Custom Printing, offers a broad array of options. You can choose to print selected pictures or everything on the card, either one to a page or with multiple copies of an image on a single sheet. The paper size can be specified, along with bordered or borderless printing. Date/time and file name imprinting is available, and images can be cropped for printing.
	DPOF The Direct Print Order Form process is straightforward and well organized. You can choose individual photos or all at once, specify the number of prints you want for each image, and opt to have the time and/or the date printed or not.

Sample Photos	Page 8 of 17		Hardware
Olympus E-620 Digital Camera Review Navigation
Intro	Product Tour	Color	Noise
Resolution	White Balance	Sample Photos	Playback
Hardware	Controls	Design & Handling	Olympus E30 Comparison
Canon Rebel XS Comp	Pentax K2000 Comparison	Nikon D90 Comparison	Conclusion
Specs & Ratings