What is missing from the E620?

Good bait there: E3 is a brick with a lens.

You really don't know much about cameras, do you?

Would you even know what to do with it if you got one?

You can get an E1 on Ebay. Just check around.

Ken Gosden said:

I wish you were the only one. Please keep video out of my cameras.
Save the firmware footprint and CPU power for more interesting
capabilities. How about taking multiple exposures to the logical HDR
in camera conclusion?

Click to expand...

Yes I wondered too, but there might be problems to implement it, either with alignment and/or computing power.

The Fuji F200 does it but only with 2 images, perhaps only at 6 Mpx. The end result might not be so different from Oly's SAT.

On my modest iBook G4, which has a 1.2 GhZ processor, merging three 10 Mpx images takes a minute or so with Photomatix, and quite longer with PhotoAcute.

BTW if PA superresolution was implemented with some ultrafast chip, and with a very fast drive mode, we would have the equivalent of a 35mm FF, without the weight. But I suppose it is still far off in terms of inbody computer power.

Am.

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Regards,

Steve

I thought the same initially. But then realized, HD movie modes, be they clips or more, would only be of REAL use if the camera had auto focus, like a camcorder.
--
shinndigg
http://www.pbase.com/shinndigg

It would have been better for me if it uses BLM-1 batteries. Then I could have upgraded and used my existing BLM-1 batteries of E500.
--
Equipment :
Olympus E500, 14-54, 40-150, 35mm Macro, 50mm macro, FL-36
Nikon F80D, 24-85/3.4-4.5, Tamron 17-35/2.8-4, Speedlite SB16B, SB25, SB28DX

Agree,

McDonalds has a great market share even though it would be difficult for me to find a vendor with worse product quality.
--
Fritz Solms
[email protected], http://www.photosig.com/go/users/view?id=277594
E-3, 7-14 f4, 50mm f2 macro, 50-200 f2.8-3.5, Leica 25mm f1.4

second dial is the only major compromise - of course not not only in the E-620 but in most / all other DSLRs of its class.

The tilt-swivel LCD is an obviously excellent and currently unique in its class feature, but it really should come with full VGA resolution [ 640x480 x RGB = 921.600 sub-pixels ] instead of only 230.000 sub-pixels. After all, this is called "HyperCrystal III" and the year is 2009. It would not have cost a bundle. Size @ 2.7" is ok, given the tilt-swivel mechanism.

Higher capacity battery BLM-1 (as in E30, E520) would have been better and not have cost anything. Even if it had meant a slightly larger form factor. Obviously a pure marketign decision to position it below E-30.

Electronic level gauge instead of the art filters would have been more useful for most users.

Generally however, it really looks like a very well spec'ed camera.

Ergo607 said:

Raist3d said:

snip

Quick_ name any DSLR in the world with in-body IS, capable of
commanding several groups of flashes wirelessly with articulated live
view, access to quality lenses from the low end to the highest end in
the entire manufacturer line for this mount, with built in pixel
mapping, dedicated white balance sensor, illuminated back buttons,
ability to develop RAW files in-camera?

Click to expand...

The closest that comes to mind is the K200D: weather sealing, very
good and competitive lenses (of which I owned some), has wireless
flash (if you use one flash as a master), in camera RAW processing,
but no live view and no illuminated buttons (although the K-m makes
up for that.)

You are right: the E620 gives a lot of bang for the buck, although I
must confess, that weather sealing (from both a personal and
commercial point of view) would have been swell. It is the only real
obvious thing missing... If you look at the K200, I don't think it
would have cost that much...

Click to expand...

Things to remember. E620 is smaller so that makes weather sealing more difficult plus you have to seal a swivel LCD which is more expense to do. Also Olympus weather seal to a higher standard than other brands which again adds cost.

Ergo607 said:

Ergo607 said:

--
Raist3d (Photographer & Tools/Systems/Gui Games Developer)
Andreas Feininger (1906-1999) 'Photographers — idiots, of which
there are
so many — say, “Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make great
photographs.” That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. It’s
nothing but a matter of seeing, and thinking, and interest. That’s what
makes a good photograph.'

Click to expand...

--
Cheers,
Marc

http://www.marcist.be
http://www.digifotofreak.nl

Click to expand...

pip22 said:

Barry Fitzgerald wrote:

"Added IS, which is a big thing that the previous models lacked"
--
Not true. Oly introduced IS on the E-510 two years ago, then improved
upon it for the E-520 last year.

Click to expand...

--
I am of course talking about the E4 series..which didn't have IS

--
Collin

http://www.pbase.com/collinbaxter

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. (George Carlin)

Supplements the built in flash.

It pops up kind like a jack in the box when shooting in low light and
torments the user about format limitations.

Jan

Not really essential but competitors tick this box.

--
Regards,

Peter
'Keep taking the photos'

Overall, the camera seems very nice, and it's also nice they upgraded the AF (they now have more AF points than Canon's 5D2...)

(1) an articulated display is very nice for use with live view, but frankly when good dslr's are over 900'000 dots (and some compacts are there also), the pixel count on this twist/swivel LCD just isn't up with events, imho.

(2) video. Most everyone has it these days (even if implementations so far suffer from various issues). Given that Oly have been a pioneer in live view, they could (should?) also pioneer in USEABLE video, shouldn't they? With Panasonic having made quite clear that a G1 with video is to be expected soon, it's a bit of a surprise to see Oly come up with a new DSLR with NO video.

I'm guessing that Olympus will continue to build cameras without your input. But maybe that's just me.

Jack

ridiculous comments made here I'm guessing that some people think that Olympus are a charitable organisation and weathersealed cameras are made bigger for a laugh.
What is it they say about squeezing a quart into a pint pot?
Who'd be a camera designer??????
--
667....Neighbour of the beast....Form is temporary, glass is permanent.

HornOUBet said:

Ergo607 said:

Not completely true. Pentax proved with the K200D that it can be done
without cracking the price...

Click to expand...

How good is their weather proofing?? I'm not familiar with it's
history??

Click to expand...

I'm sure the weather proofing is not different from other camera's/manufacturars... All are Jis class 6 certified, except for the E-3, of which it is the only camera that I know of that is Jis class 7 certified...

http://www.opticsplanet.net/water-proof.html

But, let's not get overdramatic, all camera's have at least some protection: some minutes in the rain will not harm any of the current DSLR's, and let's not forget the optics: weatherproofing of the lenses is at least as important, and while the pro grade Nikon DSLR's are weatherproofed, non of the Nikkor lenses are in a Jis class of any kind...

HornOUBet said:

HornOUBet said:

--
Cheers,
Marc

http://www.marcist.be
http://www.digifotofreak.nl

Click to expand...

--
Dwight
take at peek at the world I see at
http://picasaweb.google.com/dwightparker

Click to expand...

--
Cheers,
Marc

http://www.marcist.be
http://www.digifotofreak.nl

Stu 5 said:

Ergo607 said:

Raist3d said:

snip

Quick_ name any DSLR in the world with in-body IS, capable of
commanding several groups of flashes wirelessly with articulated live
view, access to quality lenses from the low end to the highest end in
the entire manufacturer line for this mount, with built in pixel
mapping, dedicated white balance sensor, illuminated back buttons,
ability to develop RAW files in-camera?

Click to expand...

The closest that comes to mind is the K200D: weather sealing, very
good and competitive lenses (of which I owned some), has wireless
flash (if you use one flash as a master), in camera RAW processing,
but no live view and no illuminated buttons (although the K-m makes
up for that.)

You are right: the E620 gives a lot of bang for the buck, although I
must confess, that weather sealing (from both a personal and
commercial point of view) would have been swell. It is the only real
obvious thing missing... If you look at the K200, I don't think it
would have cost that much...

Click to expand...

Things to remember. E620 is smaller so that makes weather sealing
more difficult plus you have to seal a swivel LCD which is more
expense to do. Also Olympus weather seal to a higher standard than
other brands which again adds cost.

Click to expand...

True, but they could have sealed it at a lower standard (say Jis class 5 or 6.) No one would have looked back...

Stu 5 said:

Stu 5 said:

Stu 5 said:

--
Raist3d (Photographer & Tools/Systems/Gui Games Developer)
Andreas Feininger (1906-1999) 'Photographers — idiots, of which
there are
so many — say, “Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make great
photographs.” That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. It’s
nothing but a matter of seeing, and thinking, and interest. That’s what
makes a good photograph.'

Click to expand...

--
Cheers,
Marc

http://www.marcist.be
http://www.digifotofreak.nl

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Cheers,
Marc

http://www.marcist.be
http://www.digifotofreak.nl

as proven by Pentax K10D, K20D, K200D ... heck its easily possible in a $ 750 body.

Oly could apply some savings from the smaller FT sensors (vs. APS-C) and purchase some sealing rings ... or save on the funny "art filters"

Of course I am aware that weathersealing is not be expected in that camera class - yet.

Perhaps this could be done via an upgrade to Olympus Studio?

Cheers,

http://www.pbase.com/plusiotis/insect_freaks_and_aberrations

plusiotis said:

Re: How about image stacking for (e.g.) macro work?

Click to expand...

Cameras are not built to either supervise the shooting process of a stack, or to perform the actual stacking operation once the stack is shot.

To get the best results when shooting a stack, you don't move through the depth of the subject by shifting the focus on a lens. This causes problems with fringing, weird effects with perspective (including apocryphal focus), and great difficulty calculating focus increments.

You shoot by either by moving the rear standard of a bellows, by moving a focusing rail, or by moving the subject. The latter of these operations is really the only one to be successfully automated.

Processing is also something you don't want to try in-camera. Focus stacking requires several things that cameras really aren't built to provide.

1) Extensive processing. Cameras give each image a fraction of a second of processing. And that fraction of a second is one of te largest consumers of battery power and producers of heay of all camera systrms.

Stacking programs such as CombineZ or Helicon Focus spend anywhere from several seconds to several minutes on each frame that goes into the stack. And that's on a PC's processor, several times faster than the embedded processor in the camera.

2) Extensive memory access. The stacking program has to make extensive comparisons between the different layers of the stack. This is easier on a PC (with gigs of RAM) than on a DSLR without the memory or disk space to hold dozens or hundreds of unprocessed images.

3) A user interface. If you've never used CombineZ or Helicon Focus, they're really a lot more complicated than the typical camera function. They have pretty big user interfaces, not easily run from the tiny LCD and few buttons of a DSLR.

plusiotis653459 said:

Perhaps this could be done via an upgrade to Olympus Studio?

Click to expand...

Yes, but how do you prioritize it? To make studio do as well as CZ or HF would take a pretty big effort. Then, where does that effort rend? Do you also make it stitch panoramas as well as PTgui or PT assembler? Do HDR like Photomatix? How big do you make the Studio team?

--
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Armenian genocide survivor, amazing cook, scrabble master, and loving grandmother. You will be missed.

Ciao! Joseph

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