All,
On the weekend I upgraded my dSLR’s camera body from the (now ancient & retired) Olympus E-500 to the very new Olympus E-620.
The two dSLR bodies couldn’t be further apart in every measurable feature.
To give you an idea, I’ve compiled this specification comparison which shows some of the more interesting differences.
|
Olympus E-500 |
Olympus E-620 |
|
| Lens System | ZUIKO DIGITAL, FourThirds System lens | ZUIKO DIGITAL, FourThirds System lens |
| Lens Mount | FourThirds mount | FourThirds mount |
| Media | CompactFlash card (Type I and II), Microdrive, xD picture card. (Dual slot). | CompactFlash card (Type I and II), Microdrive, xD picture card. (Dual slot). UDMA support |
| Pixel Number | 8 million pixels | 12.3 million pixels |
| Imager Type | 4/3 type Full Frame Transfer CCD solid-state image sensor | High Speed Live MOS sensor |
| Total Pixels | 8.89 million pixels | Approx. 13.1 million pixels |
| Focus Areas | 3 points | Single target, All targets with the phase-difference detection system Single, all 7 area, or Face detection with the contrast detection system |
| Live View | No | Yes |
| Image stabilizer | No | 3 modes (2 dimensional activation, 1 dimensional activation in landscape frame for horizontal pan shooting, 1 dimensional activation in portrait frame for horizontal pan shooting). |
| Exposure Bracketing | 3 frames in +/- 1, 2/3 , 1/2, or 1/3 EV steps (selectabl | 3 or 5 frames in 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1EV steps selectable |
| Sequential Shooting Speed | Approx. 2.5 fps | Approx. 4 frames/sec |
| Playback Monitor Type | HyperCrystal LCD panel | Dual Axis Variable Angle, HyperCrystal Ⅲ LCD (transmissive TFT colour LCD |
| Brightness control | +/- 7 steps | Brightness 15 levels; Colour Balance 15 levels |
| Image Processing Engine | TruePic TURBO | TruePic III+ |
| Metering Modes | Digital ESP, centre-weighted average, spot (about 2% of entire frame) High light based spot and shadow based spot | (1) Digital ESP metering (49-point multi pattern metering) (2) Centre weighted average metering (3) Spot metering (approx. 2% of the viewfinder screen) (4) Spot with Highlight bias (5) Spot with Shadow bias |
| ISO Sensitivity (Auto) | ISO 100 to 400. Expandable to 1600 (in each 1/3 EV steps possible ). Noise filter is selectable in ISO boos | AUTO: ISO 200 – 3200 (customizable, Default 200-800) |
The most obvious advantages over the older body are:
- live view (LCD),
- increased megapixels,
- larger viewfinder,
- 7-point AF,
- 4 frames per second (sequential shooting), and,
- Image stabilization (in body)
What I had not expected to find, but pleasantly so, is just how much the live view is used. It is far more than simply an LCD screen used to preview photos (as in the E-500) but actually hosts a veritable feast of functionality. There are some really great features available for use through the live view (LCD screen) including composite photos (and multi-exposure also), exposure preview and side-by-side comparison and wireless flash amongst many other features.
Face detection is another nifty addition as well as targeted AF (7 point) which can be viewed on the LCD Live View screen when composing a shot. The “info” button is used to scroll through a number of screens on the LCD panel and exposes a multitude of additional information.
The best part is that by incorporating image stabilization into the body, all existing lenses inherit stabilization! I’ve got the following pro lenses (already):
-
Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 Super Telephoto Lens
-
Zuiko Digital ED 11-22mm f2.8-3.5 Wide Zoom
-
Zuiko Digital 14-54mm f2.8-3.5II Standard Wide Zoom
Plus a couple of standard lenses including a macro lens. Stay tuned for some sample pictures.
By the way! I’m selling my previous E-500 kit so if you know anyone who might be interested, please kindly point them in the direction of my craigslist post: [ http://brisbane.craigslist.com.au/ele/1266858648.html ] and many thanks in advance. I’d like it to go to a good home.
