Olympus E 20N

Exceptionable build quality with image quality to match. It's been superceded by the new E1 and the newer 8mp prosumers out-spec it. Nevetherless, it's still an exceptional camera as long as you can live with its weaknesses and are willing to learn how to exploit its strengths. Biggest disappointment is the slow write/flush times. If you're photography requires fast sequence shooting like action or sports, look elsewhere. Biggest plus is the lens/image quality. Lens is bright (f/2.0-2.4) and its zoom range covers a very usable 35mm-140mm (great for portraits/lanscape). Having graduated from a Fuji S602 with motorized zoom, the mechanical zoom on the E-20 is a revelation. Images are very neutral in color and contrast, lending themselves well to post processing. Camera feels great in-hand and virtually all controls are easily accessible through on-camera buttons. The only exception being the histogram display function, which is accessed through the PC-data connection menu (?). Favorite shortcut is the custom white balance button located on the grip just next to the lens. Pressing it fires the shutter, with flash if selected, to capture a custom white balance without having to dig through any menus/settings. Lack of interchangeable lenses hasn't been a problem. I have the TCON 14B, WCON 08B and MCON 35 to extend zoom range to 200mm, widen it to 28mm, and tighten macro distance to less than 4inches, respectively. Those lenses would have cost significantly more on a DSLR (but that D-70 sure looks tempting). If you're contemplating an E-xx, I highly recommend reading the discussions theads about it on the Olympus SLR forum on > as well as the comprehensive reviews on >, > and >. That way you'll get a balance of owner feedback and professional opinions. In terms of finding one, Olympus runs its own company store on EBay. New and refurbished E20s show up about once a week and include their warranty,

Lens & image quality (35-140mm is very usable and 5mp is more than sufficient to 8x10)

Slow write/flush times

Other digicam is a Fuji S602 (now backup)

n/a

For what it is and what it was designed for, this camera kicks butt. I am a professional shooting everything from newspaper work to high-end magazine assignments to portraits and (gasp) the occastional wedding if somebody offers me enough. I purchased this camera for spot news, some studio, digital test shots in the studio and on location, and to back up my 35mm equipment. I had battery concerns, and so I bought a Quantum Turbo at $200 instead of the $500 Olympus battery grip, but let me tell you a secret-- buy the new 15-minute 2,200 MHr NiMH batteries. I'm filling up an entire half-gig card with one set, and if I bring along the charger, I have a constant stream of fresh batteries without a big device hanging off the bottom! Will I get a Canon 1Ds when I get the funds? You bet, but this will be in the bag right next to it. Many a time I have shot a few digital images with this camera just to cover myself when shooting medium format, and the client picked out the digital shots for use. Under good circumstances, it can go to 11 x 14 in without a problem. Again, you have to know the camera's limitations, but within those limitations, it has no peer.

Excellent image quality, extremely versitile for this type of camera. Multiple color temps, multiple modes including manual, works well with studio flash. For corporate-event type photography, it is wonderful, except in dark situations (see "weaknesses, below).

The buffer download time can really be a bottleneck for a pro shooting high-res jobs. The lens is not linear at wide angles, especially with the WA adapter. Autofocus and even manual focus is sometimes impossible in low-light situations. Very easy to forget to set the color temp when using studio flash.

Too many cameras and lighting systems to list, in 35mm to 8 x 10

None needed as of yet

color and resolution great ,built like a tank,intuitive controls

image quality ,ease of use and no dust on ccd

dismal shutter lag on E-10,slooow write times too long in flushing data to card focus in low light with E-20N unreliable

these are my first digital cameras

havent needed any yet....

Great camera for portrait/wedding studios, and I've done a lot of commercial work with it. Color fidelity is great, feel and fit perfect, and you don't have to wade through endless menus to get to settings you need. I've produced 20x24 prints, georgous ones, from this camera and the E-10, similar but only 4 megapixels. Great camera for working professionals, where it's more important to get a product you can sell than boast about brand or megapixels. If you need fast for newspaper or magazine, there's a non-interlaced mode that is half the resolution (plenty for news and leaflets and such) and lets you shoot a lot fast before you have to empty the buffer. If the E-1 is similar, then it'll be a winner.

Great color, controls easy to use (less fussing with menus), the lens is to die for. Shutter speeds up to some rediculous speed in the non-interlaced mode. Flash sync at all speeds up to 1/640 in normal mode (guilotine type shutter). Shutter lag same as 35mm SLR, important if you are trying to capture the moment.

Could use a 128 or 256 megabyte buffer, too bad they don't offer an upgrade. Slow write speeds, not important in studio or landscape work but might interfere with sports. But it has that non-interlaced mode.

Oly E-10, some cheap lo-res consumer cameras. Tried similar machines with EVF, hasically they suck.

Very easy to upgrade the firmware, they are pretty good about quick turnaround.

Outstanding camera in every way, except speed. Even in SQ mode, it writes very slowly to the CF card, even when using a high speed card. Taking 5 shots in succession is great, but it takes forever to empty the buffer. The quality of the pictures make up for any reduction in speed, as I have an Olympus E-100RS for sports use and it excels at fast shooting and storage. The quality of the camera is evident in the feel and the operation. It's more intuitive than the Fuji S1 and provides most of the opportunity to select manual overrides for creative photography. The dust free CCD is a big plus and the camera works flawlessly in every environment. Many of my photos are fire and post fire scenes, or outdoors in less than perfect conditions, and the knowledge that the inside will remain clean is a big plus! Another big plus is the automatic pixel mapping feature that will re-map the CCD if you have bad pixels. No more spotted pics!

Solid feel Outstanding quality photos Dust-free with no lenses to change Great with FL-40 flash Easy to use right out of the box; intuitive controls Reasonably good battery life with NiMH's Pixel mapping included!

S-L-O-W writing to card. Should have had a larger buffer and faster writing capabilities.

Olympus E-100RS, Fuji S-1, Olympus E-10

Excellent. Olympus has always been very helpful whenever contacted.