Our verdict
While shooting for this test, I found myself trudging through a field, humming a merry tune, and absent-mindedly tossing the E-620 from one hand to another. Being a responsible camera reviewer, I stopped as soon as I realised what I was doing and put the strap around my neck, but it made me wonder how many other mid-range DSLRs I could have done that with. Not many, I’m sure.
The Olympus E-620 really is a very small camera, and with the ‘pancake’ 25mm f/2.8 lens attached it isn’t far off being pocketable. The really great thing about the E-620 though, is that despite its size, it is a fully featured camera that genuinely makes good on the ‘Four Thirds promise’ of high quality in a small package. There are some downsides to the smaller format: there is no getting around the fact that the E-620’s sensor is noisier than APS-C and full-frame equivalents, for example, but for most purposes, and in most situations, the E-620 can slug it out with the best of the competition.
The only area in which I found its performance worryingly lacking is AF, which, while more responsive when an SWD lens is used, is still a little too jumpy to be relied upon in poor light. Taken as a whole, though, the E-620 is a very satisfying camera to use. I think its price needs to drop, and I really wish that Olympus would introduce some low-cost SWD lenses, but if and when these things happen, the E-620 will become even more desirable. With this in mind, I have awarded it the same score as the E-30.
Olympus E-620 Focal points
Wireless flash
As with all Olympus E-series DSLRs, the E-620’s built-in flash can be used as a wireless trigger for one or more of the company’s separate hotshoe flashguns.
AF adjustment
Each of the E-620’s seven AF points can be independently adjusted to correct for front/back focusing.
Face-detection AF
Like many compact digital cameras, the Olympus E-620 features face-detection AF in Live View mode, which allows photographers to lock focus quickly on a human subject. The E-620 can recognise up to eight faces in a scene.
Fn button
An Fn button on the rear of the Olympus E-620 can be customised to fulfil a range of purposes, the most useful of which are probably depth of field preview and one-touch custom white balance.
LCD screen
The E-620’s 2.7in HyperCrystal III LCD screen is fractionally larger than the 2.5in one of the flagship E3, but it offers the same 750,000-dot resolution. A wide viewing angle and anti-reflection coating aid visibility in bright conditions.
