Timings & File Sizes

Performance wise I found the E-20 to be a fairly frustrating camera. Four things limit the camera's performance:

1. Storage media write speed. In our tests (below) the E-20 had CF write speeds which were approximately the same as a 3 megapixel Nikon Coolpix 995. This is not 'professional digital camera' performance, and nor is it helpful on a 5 megapixel camera where each JPEG can weigh in at 2.4 MB.
2. If you shoot with the 'live view' LCD you will have to wait at least 10 seconds between each shot, this is because the live view does not return to the LCD until the camera has finished writing the contents of its image buffer. It doesn't stop you from shooting with the viewfinder (until the buffer is full), but for anyone using the LCD for framing it can become very frustrating.
3. In the same manner you can not certain camera settings (such as image size / quality) nor enter any camera menus while the camera is writing to a storage card.
4. Despite its looks, target audience and price the camera can only buffer four images at a time, no matter what the image size / quality selected. Couple this with the slow media write speeds and you often find yourself with a full buffer waiting for the camera to write images away.

Those are the negatives. On the positive side the E-20 focuses very quickly and has very low LAG times, if you shoot with the viewfinder you'll be able to fire off a shot every 2.4 seconds (which is quick) and most other camera functions are quick enough not to be too noticeable.

Timing Notes: All times calculated as an average of three operations. Unless otherwise stated all timings were made on a 2560 x 1920 SHQ 1/4 JPEG image (approx. 2.4 MB per image).

The media used for these tests were:

• 128 MB SmartMedia (TwinMOS)
• 512 MB SanDisk Ultra Compact Flash Type I card
• 1 GB IBM Microdrive Compact Flash Type II card

Action	Details	Time, seconds (128 MB SM)	Time, seconds (SanDisk CF)	Time, seconds (Microdrive)
Power: Off to Record		8.5	5.6	7.5
Power: Off to Play	Image loading	9.1	6.1	7.6
Power: Record to Off		2.6	2.5	2.5
Power: Play to Off		2.2	2.2	2.2
Mode: Record to Play	Image loading	1.6	1.6	1.7
Mode: Play to Record		1.0	1.0	1.0
Mode: Format		42.5	2.1	2.9
Play: Magnify	Each step	~0.5	~0.5	~0.5
Rec: Thumbnail view 2 x 2		1.6	1.6	2.2
Rec: Thumbnail view 3 x 3		1.9	1.9	2.7

Action	Details	Time, seconds
Auto Focus LAG	At wide angle	~0.6
Auto Focus LAG	At telephoto	~0.8
Shutter Release LAG	Using viewfinder	<0.1
Shutter Release LAG	Using LCD monitor	0.2 - 0.3
Total LAG	At wide angle	~0.8
Off to Shot Taken	Using 512 MB SanDisk Ultra CF card, at wide angle	5.8
Shot to Shot	Using viewfinder *2	2.4
Shot to Shot	Using LCD monitor (wait for live view to return) *2	11.5

*1	Generally using continuous auto focus will at least "prepare" the cameras focus system to be close to the ideal focus point.
*2	Image quality set to 2560 x 1920, SHQ (1/4 JPEG). For the LCD monitor test record view was disabled, the second shot was taken only when the live view returned to the LCD monitor although you can press the shutter release after 2.4 seconds (assuming there is space in the 4 image buffer).

Legend
	Quickest
	Significantly slower

Auto Focus LAG is (roughly) the amount of time it takes the camera to autofocus (a half-press and hold of the shutter release button), this timing is normally the most variable as its affected by the subject matter, current focus position, still or moving subject etc. This timing is an average.

Shutter Release LAG is the amount of time it takes to take the shot after autofocus, this timing assumes you have already focused (half-pressed the shutter release) and now press the shutter release button all the way down to take the shot. This timing is an average.

Total LAG is the total time it takes (not just the two above added together) if you haven't pre-focused, that is no finger touching the shutter release button, press it all the way down in one movement, this new timing is how long it'd take if you were in one of those spur-of-the-moment situations. This timing is an average.

Continuous shooting

The E-20's image buffer sits just behind the CCD in the cameras 'imaging chain'. This means that no matter what image size you select the maximum number of frames remains the same (see table below).

Image format	IS/PS	Frame rate	Maximum frames
JPEG, TIFF	IS	3.6 fps	4
RAW	IS	3.6 fps	3
JPEG *	PS	5.4 fps	7

Continuous mode Flush Timing

The next thing to test is the E-20's write speed. We do this by shooting a burst of four images and timing the red LED next to the storage compartment which is an indicator of card access. The total size of the files recorded is then divided by the amount of time it took to write. This is repeated three times for each image type to produce an average throughput.

The media used for these tests were:

• 128 MB SmartMedia (TwinMOS)
• 512 MB SanDisk Ultra Compact Flash Type I card
• 1 GB IBM Microdrive Compact Flash Type II card

Image Type	128 MB SM		SanDisk CF		Microdrive
	Time (s)	Throughput	Time (s)	Throughput	Time (s)	Throughput
RAW (3)	45.5	640 KB/s	47.0	619 KB/s	45.4	641 KB/s
TIFF (4)	145.7	428 KB/s	132.5	471 KB/s	134.2	465 KB/s
SHQ JPEG (4) *	42.4	239 KB/s	41.1	247 KB/s	43.0	238 KB/s

The E-20's write performance is squarely down at the consumer end, with a JPEG write speed around 240 KB/sec it's almost identical to Nikon's $800 Coolpix 995. Compare this to Canon's EOS-D30 which managed to write JPEG's to the SanDisk card at 665 KB/sec and to the Microdrive at 800 KB/sec. Aimed at professional and semiprofessional photographers, with even larger file sizes and priced above $1500 we would expect the E-20 to offer faster write times than this.

For comparison:

Camera	Best JPEG write speed
Olympus E-20	240 KB/s
Sony DSC-F707	530 KB/s
Nikon Coolpix 995	370 KB/s
Canon EOS-D30	1,100 KB/s

File Flush / Display Timing

Timings shown below are the time taken for the camera to process and "flush" the image out to the media card, the timer was started as soon as the shutter release was pressed (shutter click was heard) and stopped when activity indicator LED beside the storage compartment went out. This means the timings also include the cameras processing time and as such are more representative of the actual time to "complete the task".

The media used for these tests were:

• 128 MB SmartMedia (TwinMOS)
• 512 MB SanDisk Ultra Compact Flash Type I card
• 1 GB IBM Microdrive Compact Flash Type II card

Image Type		Time to store (seconds)				Time to display (seconds)
		SM	SanDisk	Microdrive		SM	SanDisk	Microdrive
2560 x 1920	RAW	17.2	17.1	16.8		1.7	1.7	2.5
2560 x 1920	TIFF	38.0	34.2	34.9		1.3	1.3	2.2
2560 x 1920	SHQ 1/2.7	19.2	15.5	17.1		1.7	1.7	2.2
2560 x 1920	SHQ 1/4	11.2	10.9	11.6		1.6	1.6	2.4
2560 x 1920	HQ 1/8	9.0	9.0	9.4		1.4	1.4	2.4
1792 x 1344	HQ 1/8	13.3	13.9	14.4		2.2	2.2	2.4
1024 x 768	HQ 1/8	5.9	6.4	7.1		1.6	1.8	2.4

As I expressed above these write times are really too slow for a 'professional' digital camera.

File Sizes

Here's a comparison of the average byte size of each of different image size / quality combinations.

Image Type		File size *1 (~ = approx.)	No. on supplied 16 MB SM Card	No. on 256 MB CF Card
2576 x 1924	RAW *2,3	9,697 KB	1	25
2560 x 1920	TIFF *3	15,616 KB	1	16
2560 x 1920	JPEG 1/2.7	~3,400 KB	4	64
2560 x 1920	JPEG 1/4	~2,400 KB	5	92
2560 x 1920	JPEG 1/8	~1,200 KB	10	166
1792 x 1344	JPEG 1/8	~570 KB	25	413
1280 x 960	JPEG 1/8	~300 KB	49	791
1024 x 768	JPEG 1/8	~160 KB	75	>999
640 x 480	JPEG 1/8	~80 KB	164	>999

*1	All file sizes are an average of three files. As is the case with JPEG it's difficult to predict the size of an image because it will vary a fair amount depending on the content of the image (especially the amount of detail captured). For example, take a photograph of a fairly empty wall and you'll get a small JPEG, take a photograph of a bush with a lot of detail and you'll get a larger image. File sizes here are closer to the later, the larger size of file you should expect.
*2	All 'active pixels' are recorded in the RAW file, however the final image produced by the Olympus RAW processing software is 2560 x 1920.
*3	Additionally a 7 KB .THM (a 160 x 120 JPEG thumbnail) is written with the same filename as the .ORF (RAW) or .TIF file.

Battery life

We ran the camera through our new battery life test. This test is designed to be fair and comparative to each camera and battery type:

• Take 4 shots without flash
• Wait 2 minutes (50% of the time powering the camera off)
• Take 1 shot with flash
• Wait 1 minute
• Repeat

All batteries had been fully discharged and recharged before the test and all cameras were reset to their factory default settings. Here are the results:

Camera Prosumer / SLR-Like	Battery	Power	Battery life	Number of shots
Minolta DiMAGE 7	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	1 hr 14 mins	125
Minolta DiMAGE 5	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	1 hr 56 mins	195
Nikon Coolpix 5700	EN-EL1	4.8 Wh	2 hr 08 mins	215
Canon PowerShot S40	NB-2L	3.9 Wh	2 hr 13 mins	225
Minolta DiMAGE S304	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	2 hr 18 mins	235
Canon PowerShot S45	NB-2L	3.9 Wh	2 hr 28 mins	240
Nikon Coolpix 4500	EN-EL1	4.8 Wh	2 hr 27 mins	250
Fujifilm FinePix 6900Z	NP-80	4.1 Wh	2 hr 29 mins	250
Nikon Coolpix 990	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	2 hr 30 mins	255
Nikon Coolpix 995	EN-EL1	4.8 Wh	2 hr 30 mins	255
Nikon Coolpix 5000	EN-EL1	4.8 Wh	2 hr 32 mins	260
Minolta DiMAGE 7Hi	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	2 hr 33 mins	260
Canon PowerShot Pro1	BP-511A	10.2 Wh	2 hr 36 mins	265
Canon PowerShot S50	NB-2L	3.9 Wh	2 hr 39 mins	270
Minolta DiMAGE S404	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	2 hr 39 mins	270
Sony DSC-V1	NP-FC11	2.8 Wh	2 hr 39 mins	270
Olympus C-7000 Zoom	LI-12B	4.5 Wh	2 hr 44 mins	280
Nikon Coolpix 8700	EN-EL1	5.0 Wh	2 hr 45 mins	280
Minolta DiMAGE 7i	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	2 hr 46 mins	270
Olympus E-20	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	2 hr 48 mins	285
Canon PowerShot G1	BP-511	8.1 Wh	3 hr 00 mins	300
Nikon Coolpix 5400	EN-EL1	4.8 Wh	3 hr 06 mins	315
HP Photosmart 850	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	3 hr 12 mins	325
Sony DSC-S75	NP-FM50	8.6 Wh	3 hr 15 mins	330
Nikon Coolpix 8800	EN-EL7	8.1 Wh	3 hr 27 mins	350
Fujifilm FinePix S602Z	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	3 hr 29 mins	350
Canon PowerShot G2	BP-511	8.1 Wh	3 hr 32 mins	355
Casio QV-4000	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	3 hr 38 mins	365
Olympus C-5050 Zoom	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	3 hr 48 mins	380
Casio EXILIM EX-P700	NP-40	4.5 Wh	3 hr 48 mins	385
Sony DSC-S85	NP-FM50	8.6 Wh	3 hr 50 mins	400
Sony DSC-F717	NP-FM50	8.6 Wh	4 hr 02 mins	405
Pentax Optio 750Z	D-LI7	6.6 Wh	4 hr 03 mins	415
Sony DSC-V3	NP-FR1	4.4 Wh	4 hr 05 mins	415
Nikon Coolpix 8400	EN-EL7	8.1 Wh	4 hr 09 mins	420
Sony DSC-F707	NP-FM50	8.6 Wh	4 hr 20 mins	440
Fujifilm S7000 Zoom	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	4 hr 23 mins	445
Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2	NP-400	11.1 Wh	4 hr 26 mins	450
Canon PowerShot G3	BP-511	8.1 Wh	4 hr 32 mins	455
Canon PowerShot G5	BP-511	8.1 Wh	4 hr 33 mins	460
Pentax Optio 550	D-LI7	6.6 Wh	4 hr 36 mins	465
Minolta DiMAGE A1	NP-400	11.1 Wh	5 hr 02 mins	515
Leica Digilux 2	BP-DC1-E	10.1 Wh	5 hr 05 mins	515
Sony DSC-F828	NP-FM50	8.6 Wh	5 hr 28 mins	540
Fujifilm FinePix S5000	4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP)	7.7 Wh	5 hr 31 mins	555
Canon PowerShot G6	BP-511A	10.3 Wh	5 hr 38 mins	570
Olympus C-8080 WZ	BLM-1	10.8 Wh	5 hr 52 mins	595
Other test notes:
• LCD monitor is left on during the battery test  • The camera is powered off half of the time and left on half of the time (switch every 10 iterations)  • There are now higher capacity AA NiMH batteries available, however in the interests of fair     comparison we will continue to use our 1600 mAh test set

The E-20 performed very well, lasting almost three hours on our standard set of NiMH rechargable AA's it put in a performance beaten only by Casio's QV-4000.