Olympus E-620 Announced!

[Photo-John]

I think this may be the camera that many of you were hoping the E-30 would be - without the weatherproofing, though. The new Olympus E-620 is looking very, very good to me. I had a pre-production camera for a few days and took a bunch of pictures of it and wrote up a little "First Impressions" article.

Olympus E-620 First Impressions >>

[xwingkiller]

im super excited about getting one of these.
i just ordered an e-3 and was going to keep either my e-1 or e-510 as a second body to use when needed. now i am planning on selling off both of those cameras and just waiting to grab one of these to pair with my e-3. i think its going to be the perfect duo of bodies.

the only one thing i could possibly see as a problem for me is that shallow grip. i already had to buy the aftermarket grip for my e-510 because it was cramping my hand too badly when using something like the 12-60, especially with a flash mounted.

but this is the absolutely correct body and price to be the upgrade from the others. A++ release.

[Photo-John]

I think build quality and weatherproofing are overrated features. There's a minimum acceptable level of durability, of course. But I've taken the E-520 out in all kinds of weather and I imagine I'll do the same with the E-620, too. It would be nice if it was weatherproof. Just recently I've left my backpack open while shooting powder skiing and it's ended up full of snow. That's hard to work around and can't be good for the gear. Anyway, my point is, I think I would maybe rather have two E-620 bodies over an E-620 and an E-3.

I agree that this is a very, very well-thought out upgrade for E-520 owners. I'm especially pleased with the new AF and the tilt / swivel LCD. Live view is nice and I use it all the time in the studio. But add a tilt / swivel LCD and it becomes really useful.

[xwingkiller]

do you think you could manage to handhold that thing with something like a 35-100 attached to it? for me i really feel like i need atleast one larger body.

[Sushigaijin]

THIS is a really cool camera. I'd replace my 4xx or 5xx with it, if I wasn't totally head-over-heals in love with the E3 viewfinder. :blush2: And if I didn't see weatherproofing as a necessity for my particular niche of wildlife photography. Heck, maybe I'll buy one as a back-up body? Of course, if I did I'd probably start using the E3 for backup

But seriously, well done, Olympus. If the IQ is as good as the rest of the camera seems, this will be a good seller.

Edit: Just saw, BLS-1 battery and 230,000 LCD...bummer about those, but you can't have EVERYTHING for $700...

[Sushigaijin]

do you think you could manage to handhold that thing with something like a 35-100 attached to it? for me i really feel like i need atleast one larger body.

You have to think about holding it like a tripod...it's a lens with a camera body attached, not a camera body with a lens attached...does that make sense? The 35-100 is a seriously large piece of kit - I don't think it would even balance well on the MUCH larger E3.

[Atomic2]

Im sooooooooooooooooooooooo very excited for this I cant contain myself. The specs and price are all perfect.

Still a bit bummed that theres no video recording!

[Atomic2]

Ohhh

HOW HAVE YOU NOT MENTIONED THE ISO PERFORMANCE!?!? thats probably the biggest issue with Olympus and theres no word if thats been addressed or not... soooo?

[Photo-John]

Ohhh

HOW HAVE YOU NOT MENTIONED THE ISO PERFORMANCE!?!? thats probably the biggest issue with Olympus and theres no word if thats been addressed or not... soooo?

.

Since it was a pre-production camera and didn't have final firmware, I wasn't able to test or judge the image quality. I really just had it to get a feel for the layout and handling. But the E-620 is using the same sensor as the E-30. And I haven't felt held back in any way by the E-30's image quality.

[Atomic2]

.

Since it was a pre-production camera and didn't have final firmware, I wasn't able to test or judge the image quality. I really just had it to get a feel for the layout and handling. But the E-620 is using the same sensor as the E-30. And I haven't felt held back in any way by the E-30's image quality.

So ISO samples for the E30 should be a good indication of the E620's performance?


is this also the same sensor as the G1?
http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Pa...G1/noise.shtml
its still a fair bit worse than canon's


and how did it feel ergonomically? that grip is tiny compared to the 510s.

[Photo-John]

I believe the sensor is the same as the Panasonic G1 and the E-30. That doesn't mean the image quality will be the same as either one. My hope is that since it's a newer camera they'll squeeze some more out of the sensor. I don't think the G1 and E-30 have the same image quality, either. I just got the G1 and started shooting with it yesterday. But so far my impression is that the E-30 has better image quality, even if it is the same sensor. But our best guess has to be based on those two cameras right now. You can check the studio samples for the E-30 here and I should have studio samples for the Panasonic G1 up in a day or so.

But there's a bigger philosophical question here. That is - how good is good enough. You mentioned Canon's image quality. And no - I don't think it will be that good. Canon is using bigger sensors and they just have awesome image quality. That said, I have no complaints about shooting with the E-30. And I own a Canon XSi / 450D and an EOS 50D. I find I grab the E-30 way more often than either of those cameras. I just did an outdoor editorial shoot for a glossy magazine with the E-30 and I'm really pleased with the photos I got. I could have taken the EOS 50D but I decided I'd rather shoot with the E-30. Even though the 50D would definitely have captured images with less noise, I am perfectly happy with my decision. No regrets.

If you have to pixel peep and having the lowest noise is your top priority, then the Olympus might not be the right choice. But if you want a camera with great image quality and great features at a great price, then I think the E-620 is looking like a real champ.

As far as ergonomics go, the E-620's grip is definitely smaller. Personally, it wasn't a problem. But I'm not as picky as a lot of people when it comes to camera size. I've never felt compelled to buy a grip and I never complain that a camera is too small. In my world, smaller is always better. There is a new grip to go with the E-620 if you do feel it's too small and hard to hold. But I wouldn't let the grip get in the way if you like the features and performance. If you do think it's too small, maybe an E-30 is a better choice for you. Or maybe you should try shooting with a Canon for a while. If you keep wondering and feeling like the Olympus is a compromise for you, maybe it's time to make the switch.

[GnatLikesBikes]

I've been saving my pennies and to me the new E620 looks perfect for what I want in a camera. That said, just prior to the release I was planning on an E30.

Given this new camera, why would someone buy an E30?

Really curious?

Gnat

[Sushigaijin]

E30 is a little more high-performance...more buffer, more AF points, faster burst speed, larger viewfinder, etc.

But the price is still crazy. At least, until a 1700 E4 comes out

[Atomic2]

I've been saving my pennies and to me the new E620 looks perfect for what I want in a camera. That said, just prior to the release I was planning on an E30.

Given this new camera, why would someone buy an E30?

Really curious?

Gnat

-Larger body will probably be more comfortable to hold, and the flash will probably be more effective when using a large lens like the 14-54
-Faster continuous shutter FPS
-More autofocus points
-Top LCD display screen
-Second dial
-Larger viewfinder
-Larger battery capacity

Those are a lot of small details that can add up, though I dont know if they will add up to 500 dollars or whatever the price difference will be.

However I suggest going out and using both of them before making a decision. Im really worried that the 620's hand grip will be too small for extended use with a large lens. I really love my 510's deep grip and I dont even have larger hands. I find the grip on the camera with the 12-60 attached gives me a very solid and secure feeling that im not sure the 620's shallow grip would allow.

[GnatLikesBikes]

-Larger body will probably be more comfortable to hold, and the flash will probably be more effective when using a large lens like the 14-54.

Aha! This is the first point that really matters to me and how I use my camera. I love my 14-54 and must use my external flash with my E420.

So far for me, the other stuff isn't that important considering I'd be upgrading from an E420. I look at it and say, hey, I could get the e620 body and another lens like the Zuiko fisheye or the 11-22 for almost the same price as an E30 body.

Now....For that E4 mentioned above. I can't wait to see what Olympus has going on with their new camera line up.

Gnat

[Justintoxicated]

Wow less than a year between model upgrades?

I don't know that I can justify the e620 even though it does seem worth upgrading to over my e520, right now im lucky to have a job.