Olympus Evolt E620 12.3MP Live MOS Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization and 2.7 inch Swivel LCD w/ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Zuiko Lenses
- 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor for photo-quality, poster-size prints
- Lightweight ergonomic design; kit includes 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko lens and 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Zuiko lens
- TruePic III for superior image quality in all lighting situations; Supersonic Wave Drive (in-body sensor shift)
- 2.7-inch HyperCrystal III Swivel LCD; Smooth Live View allows you to change the frame rate of the Live View display
- Stores images to Compact Flash (Type I and II), Microdrive, xD Picture card (not included)
Product Description
12.3-megapixel effective recording * Four Thirds-size Live MOS image sensor (17.3 x 13.0 mm) * Supplied lenses: * 14-42mm Zuiko Digital f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens (35mm equivalent focal length: 28-84mm) * 40-150mm Zuiko Digital f/4-5.6 zoom lens (35mm equivalent focal length: 80-300mm) * built-in sensor-shift (optical) image stabilization to compensate for camera shake * 2-11/16″ tilt-and-swivel LCD screen with Live View for composing shots in real-time and previewing the effects of exposure control settings * Supersonic Wave Filter dust reduction system for cleaning image sensor * continuous shooting mode: 4 frames per second (up to 5 RAW frames, unlimited frames in JPEG Large/Normal mode) * six preset art filters for creative effects, including Pop Art, Pin Hole, and Grainy Film *
I upgraded to E-620 from E-510 and was a mistake. I returned the camera for a refund. If you’re a first time Olympus user you may be satisfied but for 510 users, you will not. E-510 is a very exceptional camera for its class and other classes of Olympus as well. It offers exceptional details and sharpness. The E-620 details are smeared up and has some serious focusing issues, focusing is inconsistent - sometimes sharp other times are not. The noise is overwhelming, images are as noisy as point and shoot cameras. Auto-ISO starts at 200 which is noisy even in bright weather condition. if you want to shoot at 100 you have to set it up manually each time you take a picture. Don’t be fooled with the “Auto Gradation” feature, using it causes shadows to brighten and as a result big batches of colored noise appear even at ISO 100. E-620 has good color rendition and good dynamic range though. My E-510 is my last Olympus and Four thirds system camera, I lost faith in them.
Rating: 2 / 5
Olympus Evolt E620 12.3MP Live MOS Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization and 2.7 inch Swivel LCD w/ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Zuiko Lenses
I love this camera! It’s easy to use and the swivel LCD is a wonderful bonus since you can close it so it won’t be scratched while carrying it. The lenses go on easily and the pop-up flash is enough for my needs. You can also set it for no flash which is great for taking pictures in museums.
Rating: 5 / 5
Olympus Evolt E620 12.3MP Live MOS Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization and 2.7 inch Swivel LCD w/ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Zuiko Lenses
I have had the camera for about a month now and have to say I love it. I have the two lens set and both have performed great! The camera is easy to use and also EXTREMELY capable. I am far from a professional but am pretty versed in taking pictures. All the capabilities of this camera allow me to do everything I want. I would highly recommend this camera to anyone!! I think compared to anything in this price point, this camera feature for feature is a good deal.
It was a great choice for me.
Rating: 5 / 5
Olympus Evolt E620 12.3MP Live MOS Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization and 2.7 inch Swivel LCD w/ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Zuiko Lenses
Although I am not new to SLR cameras this is my first digital SLR. I would rate myself as just beginning the intermediate skill level, mostly based on technical rather than composition or creative skills.
There are, as advertised, lots and lots of features and functions with this camera almost too many for an intermediate photographer. It gets overwhelming at times. For someone of my skill level it has not produced stellar pictures right out of the box, it requires a fair amount of knowledge and fiddling with the controls. As I get more familiar with the camera I am sure the quality of my photos are going to improve. If you are looking for a performance point and shoot replacement you may want to consider sticking with a high end point and shot camera.
The size and weight of the camera is quite satisfactory to me, for what it is capable of.
The biggest complaint I have is not the camera but the manual. If you are not already familiar with the terms and functions it offers, minimal help is found in the manual. In fact if you are familiar with the operation of a digital SLR you may find the manual even less useful than I have. It touches on most or all of the features, but if you experience difficulty using a feature much of the time it leaves you hanging on what to do to correct whatever the issue is. It forces you to jump around from place to place in the manual, uses some acronyms that don’t seem to have an explanation anywhere in the manual and does not answer your concerns. You may find, as I have the need to search outside the manual which is not always an easy task. Needless to say I think the manual need a serious rewrite.
There are two features that could stand a design change. The plastic slide in contact protector for the external flash and the slide on plastic light shield for the optical viewfinder are both items that are very likely to become lost or misplaced. It would be very nice if they were designed to be moved into or out of position without having to completely remove them from the camera thus reducing the chance of loss.
However, all in all the E-620 is a very capable and nice camera and I would recommend it to anyone who is sure they want to step away from a point and shoot. One additional consideration, which many professionals suggest, is you may want to consider higher grade lenses than the lenses that come packaged with the camera as a kit. They will likely cost as much or more than the camera but probably are worth the additional expense if you are serious about quality results.
Rating: 4 / 5
Olympus Evolt E620 12.3MP Live MOS Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization and 2.7 inch Swivel LCD w/ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Zuiko Lenses
1. By way of background, I’ve been shooting for many years–> Contax / Zeiss 35mm, Noblex and Xpan Panoramics (ie film cameras) and then with the Sony R1, Olympus E-420, Ricoh GX100/200 (ie digital cameras).
2. I bought the E-620 basically for the minor upgrade that it represents compared to the E-420. After a month of moderate use, I’ll give my non-scientific impressions about this camera. Obviously for the proper and technical review–> you’ll have to wait for dpreview to come out with their review (which should be very soon).
3. Basic thoughts and impressions:
* re: Size: just a tad bit bigger than the E-420, but overall–> obviously a very compact camera, which is really one of the big reasons why I went into the Olympus system in the first place. Although the camera is a tiny bit bigger than the E420, I find this to be a positive in that the E-420 hardly had any grip.
* re: Handling: as noted above, this is a small camera but not cramped. it feels well, at least in my hands. However with midrange quality lens (ex: 12-60mm), it’s on the border of being unbalanced, but doable. Definitely with the 50-200mm, this body would be an unbalanced with that size of a lens.
* re: Viewfinder: as noted via many folks on the internet–> man, it really stinks. Because the data display is now on the bottom of the frame, it’s even more difficult to see compared to the E-420. If you wear glasses, you’ll have to wear contacts to properly use this camera; yes, the viewfinder is that lame. I would say that the viewfinder is the worst part of this camera.
* re: Focusing: definitely better than the E-420. I mainly use the 12-60mm and the focusing speed and I’m thinking accuracy is overtly better. It’s more than adequate for generic shooting situations, however perhaps may not cut the mustard in re: sports shooting or low light shooting. I mainly shoot landscapes and thus this isn’t an issue.
* re: Image Quality: In general good to very good quality images are capable with this camera (as well as the E-420)… However one has to know how to properly expose the images (as is true with all cameras, but perhaps a bit more with the Olympus cameras) and shoot in RAW (because the Olympus cameras definitely have less… tolerance when manipulating the images in Photoshop etc…). With that being said, the colors are nice, the images are sharp, the much talked about dynamic range is… ok. I haven’t used the camera enough to know if there is more dynamic range compared to the E-420 despite what the hype is on the internet. Nonetheless, there is enough data in the RAW data to work with the image in most shooting situations. Despite what folks say, I wouldn’t use this camera beyond ISO 400.
* re: other stuff: The above were the most important features / issues for me. Other stuff–> LCD (average, the swivel feature is a plus, however I haven’t had to use it thus far). IS–> not that big a deal for me, but nice to have. A slightly faster frame rate (4 frames / sec), but with the downside of the buffer filling up sooner. Menu system–> same as the E-420 (which is a nice logical system).
4. Overall, this is a nice camera , especially for those who really know how to maximize the camera’s potential and don’t shoot sports or low light / high ISO photography. As an landscape / mountaineering type photographer, this is an ideal camera due to the light weight, high quality optics and overall good feature set. Well done Olympus.
Rating: 4 / 5
Olympus Evolt E620 12.3MP Live MOS Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization and 2.7 inch Swivel LCD w/ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Zuiko Lenses