John Duggan asked me to repeat what Amateur Photographer had said
about this little camera:
Angela Nicholson writes:
"The specification of the Olympus E-400 hits all of the right notes,
and when I first picked it up I was struck by its neatness and
compact nature. I was smitten: I liked the way it felt in my hand
and the layout of the control panel. However, as I began to use it I
became increasingly frustrated with the repetitive button-pressing
necessary to make setting adjustments. I reminded myself that this
type of control arrangement is perfect for novice photographers. By
locating the controls together they are easy to find and new users
are more likely to experiment with the settings. But what happens
after this learning phase? The more experienced user is left
frantically punching buttons to make adjustments.
"The E-400 is able to hold its own alongside cameras such as the 400D
and Alpha 100 with respect to key factors such as its resolution and
image noise. At first glance its greater dynamic range might seem a
bonus, but in fact the E-400 has more limited ability to record
highlights than the other 2 cameras. Fortunately, Olympus provides
an answer to this in the form of the highlight spotmeter. However,
this is a control that needs to be used with care by an experienced
user. It also results in darker pictures that will not impress the
direct printer. These images need to be adjusted on the computer to
lighten the midtones and shadows. Photographers who have the
experience to to this are unlikely to be satisfied with the slow
handling of the E-400."
She gave the camera 84% compared with the E-1's 91% (I think I
remember correctly). I would not worry about the handling side of
the camera, but the dynamic range worried me when first I read it.
Chris
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