Olympus E-420

I purchased this camera after much debate between the Nikon D60, Nikon D40, Leica D-Lux-3, and Rebel XSI.

I am very pleased with it, mainly for the following reasons:

• Size - this is the smallest DSLR on the planet, smaller than the D40, (as of June 2008).
• Image Quality (IQ): The image quality is fantastic - after researching the Noise-levels for the E-410, E-510 and reading the Cameralabs.com and dpreview.com noise analysis, the E-420 can hold itself against even the Canon Rebel XSI for noise upto ISO 800. Even ISO 1600 is usable, especially if you run it through a noise removal program. The dynamic range is even improved compared to the E-510/E-410 and approaches the flagship E-3.
• Features - there are some nice features on the E-420 such as contrast Auto-Focus (Live View); Face Detection and SSWF (Dust Removal Filter).

All in All, given the BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK, it’s hard to get all these features in such a small package. The only downsides I can think of are the lack of image stabilization, but hey - what did we do before Image Stabilization? Learn to take photos properly! You can also use the high-ISO, A tripod and shutter speed to control this, so you basically don’t even need Image Stabilization, and if you REALLY need it, then there are all the 4/3 lenses which have OIS built in, so there’s an option, albeit there are costly.

Overall score: 8.5/10. Good Job Olympus.