Olympus Mini E-420 - The Smallest DSLR
Previewed on 27 March 2008

The onslaught of snazzy new cameras continues even as our memory of the PMA and CES fades into a distant haze. Even if you think you've become numb to the bombardment of fresh innovations and sexy new looks, the Olympus E-420 might just get your heart pumping again. With Autofocus Live View, Face Detection and 10 megapixels all packaged in the tiniest body in the DSLR world, the E-420 blurs the lines between DSLRs and compact cameras. It makes other DSLRs look lumbering and awkward in comparison and is bound to send compacts into a despairing frenzy.

All our favourite DSLR features and functions are there but they have somehow been squeezed into a tighter space. The 10 megapixels Live MOS sensor pretty much guarantees sharp images with Olympus's Shadow Adjustment Technology to help bring out details in dark areas. The E-420 also squeezes in Olympus's dust reduction system which has so far been one of the best systems out there in combating dust particles on the sensor. The ISO sensitivity of 100-1600 and 3.5 fps burst shooting rivals many other entry level DSLRs while the scene modes and simple menu makes this camera easy to use.

The back of the camera is dominated by the huge 2.7-inch LCD which offers Live View with an advanced auto focus system. Half press the shutter and the high-speed imager AF will focus for you. For those of you who've come to rely on face detection, don't despair, the E-420 has inherited this function and can track up to 8 faces in the frame. Olympus is also introducing a new feature called the Perfect Shot Preview. You can select various effects on a live multi-window screen on the LCD, changing settings such as white balance to see what the image will look like and choose the image you want.

The user friendly modes make the E-420 a luscious little gem but admittedly it's the bite-sized exterior that really captures the imagination. It's the smallest of the DSLRs on the market at 129.5 mm x 91 mm x 53 mm, the body weighing only 380g without accessories or lenses. To add to the tiny appeal, Olympus is including the world's smallest lens. The Zuiko 25mm f2.8 digital specific lens is a tiny 0.9-inch thick. While it does offer greater portability, it is admittedly a pretty limiting focal range, so Olympus is also offering a kit with another lens, the Zuiko Digital 28-84mm equivalent (ED 14-42mm Four Thirds) f3.5-f5.6 lens.

Of course, the four thirds mount means you could attach a wide range of different lenses to the body. We mustn't forget that the E-420 is a DSLR that offers us the full range of control and flexibility that we've come to love from DLSRs, but the Olympus E420 manages to do so with more style, and less of the heavy cumbersome bodies of its larger counterparts. We're definitely looking forward to it's arrival around May 2008.