User reviews for Olympus E-400: Digital Photography Review

Opinion: A 4 all-round.

The images look toasted somehow (not a bad thing...can be appealing).

I prefer the E-1, much superior body...but the E-400 is smaller and has more MP so if those two things are important (and the newer sensors, IS and Live-Views are not interesting) then the E-400 is a good bet.

Massive feature set. Little RAW headroom (shoot in JPG).

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Opinion: Great compact camera, with many usefull features.
I got the kit with 2 lenses, and for my rookie knowledge on using SLR'S, this camera gives me a very good startup kit.

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Opinion: E-400 has a serious defect on Noise reduction function.

Problems: Comparing with the other DSLR model of the Olympus, E-400 has a serious defect on a NR function.
See the bellow, this is the function chart for the NR mode.
E-1 & E-300 : User can select without any limitation
E-500 & E-330 : NR operating at ISO 100 and shutter speed more than 4 sec' automatically (No manual mode)
E-410 & E-510 : NR operating at ISO 100 and shutter speed more than 8 sec' automatically (No manual mode)
* E-400 : Noise reduction operating at ISO 100 and shutter speed more than 60 sec'
ISO 200 / 30 sec' ISO 400 / 15 sec'

As above condition, E-400's starting point of NR is required 10 times more than the others, and it should be mis-setting of it's firmware.
Most of Olympus user in Korea agrees with my opinion.

It has to be fixed by Olympus. However, it seems that HQ of Olympus Co.,Ltd. dose not recognize this serious fault.

As you know, E-400 has a normal interline CCD from kodak not special sensor.
Without NR function, CCD from Kodak is very week while the light is dark.

If you want to see what happen when E-400 users take a picture at night, please test under these condition
a. Bulb mode, ISO 100, 40sec'
b. No Bulb(Shutter priority.....) mode, ISO 100, 40sec'

I steel can not understand why the Olympus do not fix this problem.
I hope they will fix this problem with firmware update as soon as possible.

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Opinion: I've initially purchased the E400 in december last year as a stop-gap backup solution
for my E1 until the
new pro body arrives. However, the E400 beats the E1 in almost all aspects, the lack
of a second control wheel is not even bothering me. the image quality is amazing and
the new kit lenses are little marvels.

Problems: There's a firmware bug that causes the file numbering to reset when you erase/format
the camera and switch off immediately.. somehow a buffer is cleared and the counter
lost. not a big issue, but sometimes a little annoying.

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Opinion: I love this little camera. I'm not usually a fan of small cameras but the E-400 feels really good to use. Menus are easy to use and controls easy to change with practice. The whole camera seems just that bit faster to use than previous models. Image quality is very good - it takes great JPEGs. Now at a bargain price - you can't lose!

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Opinion: Pros:
• Small
• Ultra Light Weight (435g+165g=600g total with ZD35mm/F3.5 Macro)
• SSWF-filter for dust reduction
• APM = Automatic Pixel Mapping
• High pixel count sensor using Kodak KAI-10100
• Good colour and resolution qualities
• Olympus Master 2.03 develops good results from the raw files
• Can use Adobe ACR 3.6 with PSE 3.0
• Two years warranty in Europe
• Lowest price for any dSLR body (june 2007)
Cons:
• No dedicated buttons for: ISO, AF, WB, EXP, FOCUSPOINTS
• No "anti-shock" mirror lock up
• Infodisplay not horizontally but vertically positioned
• Big RAW-files
• Memory card door can be fragile
• USB 1.1 only

Problems: not yet

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Opinion: I picked up a twin lens kit secondhand for an irresistible price and have been very impressed with the compact size, sturdy build quality and the images. I carry it around everywhere now, with the 14-42 kit lens. The viewfinder is good enough to use manual focus OM lenses - the 50mm f1.8 has worked well so far and makes for a really pocketable, discreet camera.

Problems: Pointless alteration of control interface from E330.

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Opinion: I have an EOS 1DS Mark II, and it is heavy to carry around all the time. Tried a compact, didn't like it. After much research I plumped for the E400 and two kit lenses. The equipment is beautifully light and very well made. I used it in a school music concert and it is remarkably quiet (ijn terms of sound, not digital noise). Obviously I would have got better results with the big Canon, but would have had to put it in its sound blimp.
1) Why is the manual not printed? The camera costs around £700, but even a little compact usually comes with a manual. I think Olympus have been cutting corners, because if the CD manual is opened there are pages for notes! Not sure how to use these. I think they just decided to save money and not print it.
2) The kit lenses are slow, and there is not such a big selection of large-aperture lenses from independent manufacturers (only Sigma and a very expensive Leica, I think).
3) The RAW conversion software is dire - so slow - and the format is not supported in Photoshop CS. I think that Olympus should develop a plug-in for it. (Discovery - see 5 below)
4) The gadget bag supplied as part of the kit is a tight fit. I then spent £30 on a Lowepro.
5) In desperation I spent half an hour searching the web for decent conversion software. Finally I discovered "Bibble". It handles these files, is reasonably-priced, and apart from the silly name it seems immensely powerful. I am going to use it for all my RAW conversions from now on. It has made me upgrade the rating for the camera. The quality is stunning with this software.

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Opinion: This is the sort of digital camera I had been waiting for: serious hardware but
compact and lightweight enough to carry on a hike or a prolonged holiday. Build
quality is beyond reproach and picture quality is very good even with the kit lenses
(but beware if you are moving up from a compact digicam: this is a DSLR and it
takes time and skill to get considerably better results compared to a compact).
Handling is no problem despite the lack of a grip, and I really like the classic pre-
autofocus film-SLR design.

Oh yes, this is the most beautifully designed DSLR currently on the market!

One word about the kit lenses that come with this camera. I very much enjoy
shooting with the 14-42, which is a lightweight gem which suits 90% of my
shooting needs. The new 40-150 that's supplied with the double-zoom kit is a
decent lens that has had some pretty good reviews. However, it is a relatively slow
lens which, absent any image stabilisation feature is only usable in bright daylight
conditions. Nonetheless, as it's supplied almose for free in the DZ kit, there is no
reason not to give it a try. Oh yes, by the way, there lenses have a plastic mount,
which has been widely critizised on Oly forums. I think this is basically a non-issue,
as the build quality and the plastics used are very solid. So unless you change
lenses 10 times a day, 365 days a year, this should really not be an issue.

Problems: Not much to critizise about this beautiful little camera. The only real dislike for me is
the small viewfinder, which is sufficiently bright for composing but next to useless
for manual focussing. I'm thinking about getting the optional viewfinder loupe.

Value for money used to be an issue, but since the recent dramatic price-drop, the
E-400 is a bargain now.

ISO noise is there starting around 400 ISO, but even 1600 ISO pictures are usable,
especially as prints. Olympus stripped this camera of a few "pro" features, such as
mirror lock-up and a few bracketing modes. But this will probably only annoy pros
or semi-pros, and this camera is more intended for hobbyists.

One word of caution for beginners: if you are currently shooting with a compact or
"bridge" camera, dont expect to shoot instantly better pictures with this camera.
DSLRs give you more versatility and creativity, plus a bigger sensor for low-light
conditions, but in good lightning conditions a compact digicam will yield roughly
the same image quality. DSLRs are good for creative shooting, depth-of-field play
and they give you access to better lenses. If you don't intend to make use of this
added versatility, you probably won't need a DLSR. Even the tiny E-400 is a
substantive camera compared to a compact, and there's no way to fit this into your
jacket pocket.

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