OLYMPUS E-420

JRH · Nov 8, 2009

I was wondering on your views of this camera ?

Is it a good starting SLR camera?

If not what else is there out there with a budget of £300

Thanks, Guys

Hooker771 · Nov 8, 2009

Ive bought the e500 for about 300$ prior to my upgrade to a canon xs. I really enjoyed that camera, and learned a lot on it. I cant speak for the 420 but if its like the 500 I would give 2 thumbs up. I actually bought my mom and father-in-law a evolt 500 after vacation and they used mine a bit. Very user friendly

jacsul · Nov 8, 2009

I purchased the E-620 a few mos. ago an love it. These cameras work on the 4/3rds platform which means lens selection isn't as abuntant as say canon or nikon. Because of the smaller sensor size there may be some issues with image noise but nothing drastic. On the plus side the camera body has built-in image stabilization so your not paying for it in the lens.
I would probably look to get a something a little newer than that camera though.
Little wonder: Olympus launches E420: Digital Photography Review

Hope this helps.
Jack

JRH · Nov 9, 2009

Cheers for the replies guys!
Shall look into it

Don Kondra · Nov 9, 2009

McBain Camera has the E-510 for $329 Cdn.

Cheers, Don

gators12707 · Nov 9, 2009

my first camera was the e-400. it was a simple camera, and i learned everything i know about composition on it. just be aware of a few things i ran into once i started exploring more creative photography

-no bracketing function, so i wouldn't expect to do HDR with it
-LOTS of noise in lower light conditions when you merge the pictures together in HDR, even with ISO200
-the viewfinder was a bit tight for me (i wear glasses when my contacts aren't in) and I struggled to compose some photographs

but on the plus side, it is durable, built in IS (although i'm not sure about it's effectiveness, i'd say -1 shutter stop at most), simple, attractive, quick start up, light but sturdy, and not intimidating. if you are just getting started, there is nothing wrong with it. but i can't justify keeping it and building on it as long as say a D40 or a Rebel XS, simply because of the lack of lenses and lack of features.