Olympus E-420 + 14-42mm lens

Want the beefy skills of a digital SLR, but without the bulk? Lucky for you then the Olympus E-420 meets you halfway. Get the full verdict right here…

Pros
When your hand luggage is groaning at the seams and you still need to squeeze in a bottle of sun lotion, you’ll be glad you bought the Olympus E-420. It’s the smallest and lightest digital SLR on the market – at just 380g it’s lighter than many ‘compact’ cameras. It’s also incredibly well specified, with Live View framing (on a generous 2.7-inch screen), Face Detection auto-focus and speedy 3.5fps continuous shooting.

Cons
The E-420 doesn’t have image stabilisation technology and, to be fair, its image quality can’t quite match the Canon EOS 100D and Nikon D60 here. Bright sunlight can lead to washed-out highlights and there’s less fine detail from its 10-megapixel sensor chip.

Verdict
There’s much to love about the E-420, from its pocket-friendly (but tough) build to its long list of advanced options, such as dust reduction, exposure bracketing, great close-up shooting and an unbeatable choice of focusing options. Only the somewhat vague levels of detail, especially in shadows and highlights, count against it. The price is right though, and it’s well worth looking at the E-420 dual lens kit, which adds an powerful telephoto zoom to the standard 3x lens for not a lot more.

Picture quality

Usability

Reliability

Style

Features

Value for Money

Overall

Go to the Olympus E-420 + 14-42mm lens product page >>

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