Handling & ease of use:
The thing that strikes you most about the E-420 is its size – it’s quite easily one of the smallest DSLRs on the scene, in fact its smaller than some bridge ‘compacts’, especially if fitted with a 'pancake' lens (very small, prime lens), in which case it becomes pocketable (albeit in a fairly big pocket!).
While it’s true that larger cameras offer a firmer hold, the E-420, despite its modest handgrip, still provides a decent enough grip, in the main because it’s so light and small. In terms of build quality, it feels very solid, so you can feel confident that this little camera is able to withstand the odd knock.
One common failing of small cameras is that the buttons and dials tend to be fiddly to use, but that’s not the case with the E-420. Its control layout follows the same set-up as most previous consumer-level E-series DSLRs, with a clean top-plate featuring the main exposure dial and a couple of buttons, with the rest of the controls on the rear. It’s a tried and tested system that only requires a short learning period to get used to, which would make this a suitable choice for beginners.
The key shortcut to accessing functions quickly is the OK button at the centre of the four-way control system, to the right of the LCD monitor. Pressing the OK button highlights a key function on the LCD monitor and you can then use the four-way control to change whichever settings you want, quickly and easily. There is also a menu button for accessing all camera functions, but unless you’re after a lesser-used facility, you’ll find it more convenient to use the OK button.
The LCD monitor has a 2.7in screen that displays a sharp, bright image, which is important as the E-420 offers a LiveView mode. The menu system is clean and easy to navigate, with a set of tabs running down the left allowing access to the various types of functions. The viewfinder holds no real surprises and is very similar to what you’ll find on similarly-priced DSLRs from rival brands. It’s sharp and reasonably bright, but quite small. Exposure information appears in an area to the right of the screen, which has black markings for the AF points and the central metering zone. The deep hood offers good protection from glare, while a wheel to its right allows dioptric correction for spectacle wearers. In summary, the Olympus E-420 is a compact, well-made DSLR that has good all-round handling and is not at all difficult to operate

Features:
The E-420 may be small in size and low in cost, but it’s certainly not short of features. At its heart is a ten-megapixel Live MOS (LMOS) sensor that delivers images with a maximum resolution of 3648x2736 pixels. Images can be recorded in JPEG, Raw or in both, with the TruePic III processor delivering a maximum frame rate of 3.5 frames per second. The lens mount accepts all Four-Thirds lenses from Olympus, Panasonic or Sigma, with a resultant increase in focal length of 2x (ie a 14-42mm is effectively a 28-84mm zoom). As with other Olympus models, the E-420 uses both xD and CompactFlash memory cards.
There is no shortage of exposure modes, with over a dozen scene modes for absolute beginners, as well as full auto, program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority and manual modes. The metering system is pretty sophisticated too – as well as 49-zone, spot and centre-weighted, there are also spot modes biased for highlights or shadows.
The autofocus system is more basic, with only three AF points to choose from. The outer points are located to the left and right of the central sensor and can each be selected individually or used simultaneously in single-shot or continuous AF modes. Select LiveView and other focusing options come into play, including Imager AF, which uses contrast detection to facilitate focusing.
The camera's integral flash can be used to provide extra illumination when required, and depending on the mode you’re using, it will pop up automatically or need to be raised manually by pressing the button on the top-plate. It offers a number of modes, including slow-sync and red-eye reduction and has a Guide Number of 12 (ISO 100, m). The E-420 lacks an image stabiliser 
(a feature found on the E-520) but boasts a Supersonic Wave Filter to reduce the risk of dust settling on the sensor.

Performance:
The E-420 turns in a very tidy performance, with no discernible weaknesses in any areas. It’s fast to start up, very responsive in use, 
and image write times (from camera buffer 
to card) are fast. Although the autofocus system has only three AF points, it proves 
fast and accurate in use, though continuous 
AF shouldn’t be relied on for anything that's travelling too quickly. AF performance slows down considerably when using LiveView, so manual focus is recommended whenever possible if you're using this feature.
The 49-zone metering system produces consistent exposures and, bar backlit subjects or scenes with large areas of sky, you can expect it to deliver accurate results. It's worth checking the LCD brightness when you first get the camera as, with our sample, images appeared slightly underexposed on the LCD monitor, but once viewed on our PC, were correctly exposed. Increasing the LCD monitor’s brightness solved this small issue. Flash exposures are good too, although it’s worth setting the flash compensation to 
+1/2 to provide a boost to the output. Colour reproduction is excellent, with subjects displaying very natural colours and smooth skin tones. Noise isn’t a problem, and only becomes evident at ISO 800 and above.
Where the E-420 doesn’t score as well as its main rivals is in image sharpness, which, while good, fails to reveal the finest levels of detail that you’d expect from a ten-megapixel sensor. This is the case when shooting in Raw or JPEG, so isn’t due to noise reduction; but it won’t be evident unless you plan to enlarge images to 10x8in or larger, or you want to heavily crop your shots. Although this is the only major negative point of the E-420’s performance, it’s an important one as it will affect every image taken on the camera.

VIEWFINDER
A small but reasonably bright viewfinder with a sharp screen. The active AF points each have a red LED that illuminates when the sensor is activated.

SUPPLIED SOFTWARE
The Olympus E-420 comes with Master 2.0 software, which is a good but basic package that you'll rarely use. You’ll find the likes of Photoshop Elements to be a faster and more powerful alternative


FOUR-THIRDS SYSTEM
Olympus created the Four-Thirds system back in 2003 and established it as the first SLR system made exclusively for digital (other brands use a system based on its 35mm film SLRs). It's a system open for any manufacturers to make DSLRs for, and currently only Panasonic has done so, though Sigma makes lenses for the Four-Thirds mount.

CLEVER TECHNOLOGY
The Olympus E-420 features Shadow Adjustment Technology to brighten deep shadow areas and Face Detection to recognise up to eight faces, and adjust the focus and exposure accordingly


TEST VERDICT
The E-420 is a very tempting proposition as a budget DSLR, especially as recent price drops make it one of the cheapest models on the scene. The price shouldn’t be the only factor that makes it worth considering – its compact size shouldn’t be overlooked, especially when the lenses available for it are also smaller than average. This makes it a very good choice for travel photography. There is little doubt that the E-420 is well made, handles well and, with the exception of an integral image stabiliser, it doesn't really lack any major features. While image quality is very good in most areas, the slight softness of images, when viewed under high magnification, may put some off. It’s worth pointing out, though, that unless you think you’ll need to make A4 or larger prints, you won’t really notice any difference between images from the Olympus or any of it rivals. Overall, it’s a very good budget buy and an ideal choice for travel photography, but it faces incredibly stiff competition, in particular from Canon and Nikon.

Handling & Ease of use: 22/25
Features: 21/25
Performance: 20/25
Value for money: 21/25
OVERALL: 84/100

Model: OLYMPUS E-420
contact: 01923 831100
Guide Price (RRP): £350 (14-42mm)
 Sensor type: LMOS (Four-Thirds)
Resolution (effective pixels): 10
Max. image resolution (pixels): 3648x2736
Focal length increase: 12x
Number of AF points: 3
Multi-zone metering zones: 49
ISO rating: 100-1600
Card format: CF and xD
Raw + JPEG: Yes
Shutter speedS: 1/4000sec-60sec+Bulb
Flash sync: 1/180
Shake reduction: IS lens only
Dust reduction: Yes
Continuous frame rate: 3.5fps
LCD monitor: 2.75in
POWER SOURCE: Lithium-ion
Size (MM): 136x91.5x68
Weight (grams): 380