An unprofessional unscientific review on Olympus E-620

[lihong]

<p>I got an E-620 recently and have tried it on various subjects including landscapes, pet portraits and macros. My first impression was that this camera is definitely a big step improvement over E-510. Two major things really improved are pixel level resolution and high ISO noise. In addition, dynamic range and white balance seem much better too. Besides, when shooting jpeg, the colors are accurate in most situations, especially at outdoor. Overall I am very happy with the IQ. And for its price, I got many features I cannot get from other makes. <br>

The body is quite compact. Holding it in my hands, it feels a little small and not ergonomic at first. But once I got used to it, it was just fine. In fact, it feels quite solid compared to Nikon D90 or Canon 50D, which are supposed to be midrange cameras similar to Olympus E-30. D90 and 50D are larger, but they don't have the feel of solid construction. 50D especially gives me the plastic feel. But this is just my own bias I guess.<br>

One thing needs a serious improvement is autofocus under low light. Even the 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 lens still hunts a lot and often ends up at the wrong focus. This will make indoor portraits of kids and pets very difficult. I wish there is a focus aid light on the camera. I really don't see why Olympus always omit it in its low end cameras.</p>

 

[michael s.]

<p><< ... I wish there is a focus aid light on the camera. ... >></p>

<p>I don't have the camera, but one reviewer suggests the following:<br>

<em>"In low light you'll really want to pop up the flash (which is used as an AF-assist lamp), otherwise the camera will struggle to lock focus." </em></p>

<p>Quoted from this page:<br>

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/olympus/e620-review/compare</p>

<p>Your other choice, of course, would be an Olympus flash unit mounted on the camera.<br>

<em><br /> </em></p>

 

[lihong]

<p>Yeah, I tried popping up the flash. It's very annoying and still not as efficient as an AF-assist lamp.</p>

[porter]

<p>I've owned an e520 and an e620. I just purchased a d90 and find the build quality and ergonomics to be superior to that of my 620. I might have big hands, I don't know, but I had to purchase a battery grip for the Olympus to make it feel better in my hands and it really helped. If you were to give Olympus something over the Nikon cameras though (including my d90) I would certainly say that the LCD screen is WAY better on Olympus. I have trouble telling if I got a sharp picture on the Nikon unless I zoom into my shot a bit to make sure. On the Olympus I never have to do this-the screen is so bright, clear, and sharp! </p>

<p>As a new Nikon owner who is keeping Olympus in his bag, I would LOVE to toss my Nikon in the trash if only my Olympus would have more reliable focusing and slightly better high iso performance. Heck I would stay with Olympus if they would ONLY fix the focusing issues! Seriously, it's not just the lack of a focus assist lamp, it's the missed focuses in all light, even bright daytime light! If only the af would keep trying. It doesn't though! It just quits and you have to constantly retry or switch to mf and miss a ton of possibly great shots :(</p>

<p>Common E-5! Bring me a reliable AF system and I'll never think of another brand again.</p>

[Greg M]

<p>Lihong,</p>

<p>Have you thought about buying a flash for your E620? If you want decent quality flash images you need one anyway, and an FL36R or FL50R can be mounted in the hot shoe, turned on, you can then go to the super control panel on the back of the E620 and turn the flash head off. The flash will emit the infrared AF assist light when you focus to shoot but won't flash, allowing you to shoot in much lower light. The camera will be able to focus in near complete darkness from several feet away.</p>

[lihong]

<p>Hi Greg,<br>

Thank you for the suggestion! I didn't know the external flash has that capability. That's awesome!</p>

[Greg M]

<p>Yep, the flash always emits the infrared AF assist light when using it for flash photography and turning the flash "off" using the super control panel of the E620, but leaving the flash in the hot shoe and turned on turns the flash into just an external AF assist light, allowing for regular ambient light metering just like you didn't have the flash fitted.</p>

<p>There are some high spec, less expensive options that are dedicated for the Olympus system like the Vivitar DF383 and DF283 that should work the same way. Even the small $60 (at B&H) Vivitar DF183 has a flash assist light and would be about as cheap an alternative as there is.</p>

<p> <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/639816-REG/Vivitar_DF183O_DF183_OLY_DF_183_AF_For.html#features">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/639816-REG/Vivitar_DF183O_DF183_OLY_DF_183_AF_For.html#features</a></p>

[Greg M]

<p>That Vivitar DF183 has some impressive specs for the price. Zooms from 24-85mm and the flash head tilts up allowing for bounce photography, although the working distance would be limited due to the limited power, but as a small, dedicated AF assist light, should work great.</p>

[andrew_boroda]

<p>Greg, is it true also for Metz 48 AF-1? I mean infrared AF assist. Thanks.</p>