NEW Reviews Beta Feedback

Olympus Camedia E-20N

-

Pending

Avg User Rating
5 User Reviews | add yours »

At a Glance
Low megapixel count
Small LCD screen
Smaller-than-average optical zoom range

Performance
Overall rating	75
Image quality: To gauge picture quality, we take a series of shots, with and without flash, at 640 by 480 resolution and at the camera's highest resolution. We photograph a complex still life and a mannequin to see how well each camera captures details and subtle colorings such as skin tones. A panel of judges reviews the on-screen and printed photos and assigns image-quality scores; we then average those scores.	Very good
Ease of use	Very good
Features	Very good
Maximum effective pixels/resolution	5 megapixels/2560 by 1920
Bundled media	32MB SmartMedia (also accepts CompactFlash)
Focal range (35mm equivalent)	35mm to 140mm
Aperture range	f2 to f11
Shutter speed range (seconds)	2 seconds to 1/4000 second
Viewfinders	Through-the-lens optical viewfinder, 1.8-inch LCD screen
Video/audio recording	No/no
Semiautomatic/manual modes	Auto, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, manual modes; manual focus
Optional lenses	Wide-angle and telephoto
Software	Olympus Camedia Master 4
Battery score	Outstanding
Battery life	768 shots, 268 minutes
Battery type	Two 3V disposable lithium ion or AA
Dimensions and weight (including battery)	5 by 4.1 by 7 inches; 41.1 ounces
Support policy score	Good
Support policies	One-year parts and labor warranty; toll-free support for 13 hours on weekdays

What You Should Know about the Camedia E-20N

Low Megapixels For an Advanced Camera

For an advanced camera, this model has a low megapixel count--but it may suit your needs anyway. A 3- to 4-megapixel camera lets you print images at sizes up to 4 by 6 inches without visible reduction in quality or sharpness. Though you can print images at sizes up to 8 by 10 inches, the prints will lose sharpness and detail noticeably. Cameras (such as cell phone cameras) with a pixel count below 3 megapixels are best used only for images destined for e-mail, Web pages, or presentations. As the pixel count on an image sensor increases, so does its tendency to produce images plagued by noise--ugly speckling patterns. To avoid noise, look for a camera with the lowest pixel count that still serves your output needs.

Reviewed by: digitaldog

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: TTL format is much better than the usual rangefinder digital. It even has a digitized sound of a shutter mechanism.

Weaknesses: Finnicky camera. Does not want to recognize flash card and needs to be reracked between power downs. Even with maximum resolution, the images are so-so quality. Individual shots can't be deleted.

Overall Evaluation: I really dislike this camera for several reasons. The menu is perplexing and obtuse. The active LCD menu on top of the camera has tiny symbols and fonts that are very hard to read and interpret. I had to do a shoot early in the morning...the camera was cold from being in the a/c all night. The humidity was high which caused some condensation on the interior of the lense. It took 45 minutes aiming the lens into the sun to dry out this leaky, poorly sealed lens. Now I have a haze inside the lens requiring a warranty repair. The camera also does not always recognize a flash card. I have to re-rack the card after every power up. This camera is just too finnicky.
Reviewed by: photoman645

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Durable construction; good placement of controls; high degree of manual control/overrides

Weaknesses: AF weak in low light; power hungry; OEM accessories are overpriced: hopefully aftermarket options will soon be available. I'd like to see an option where I could manually clear out the buffer.

Overall Evaluation: I'm a dyed-in-wool film camera old timer, but got such a deal on my E20N I took the plunge and I'm glad I did! I'm truly impressed. So much so, that on a recent trip to Vegas, the E20N is the only camera I took. The night metering of the Vegas Lights was right on. While I did use the aperture priority and shutter priority modes, I found I could leave it on PROGRAM and get great results. Random observations: 1)Being an eyeglass wearer, the diopter adjustable eyepiece is a nice feature. 2) White balance button is an excellent feature as well. 3) Having cut my photo-teeth on a Yashica-mat and Bronica, the waist level capability of the flip-out LCD is a big asset for me. 4) Great optics!