Olympus E420

The Olympus E420 is a small DSLR from 2008. It measures 130 x 91 x 53 mm and weighs 426 g, so it slips into a small bag easily, and you frame shots through an optical viewfinder.

The stills-only design suits anyone who wants a light camera for everyday pictures. There is no video mode here, so it only makes sense if photographs are what you want to make.

The built-in flash, the two card slots and the 500-shot battery rating are the main extras. Just expect no wireless transfer or remote control from a phone.

A 10 megapixel NMOS sensor in the Micro Four Thirds format keeps files modest and leaves little margin for heavy cropping. Our Optics score of 37 rates the specification as limited, and the E420 sits in the bottom 2% of cameras in our database for optics.

Sensitivity runs from ISO 100 to 1600. There is no in-body stabilisation, so nothing in the body absorbs camera shake at slow shutter speeds, and dim scenes may call for the built-in flash or a steady support.

Burst shooting reaches a maximum of 3.5 fps, which favours portraits and brief moments over sustained action. The 1/4000 maximum shutter speed handles typical daylight work, and focusing uses 11 autofocus points.

Framing is through an optical pentamirror viewfinder, which gives an eye-level view of the scene with no screen lag. Live view is there too, for the times you would rather compose on the LCD.

The E420 does not record video at all. It is a stills-only camera, so any moving images would have to come from another device. There is no built-in timelapse mode either, so the camera cannot assemble a frame sequence on its own.

Live view is available, but it only frames still photographs on the 2.7 inch LCD. It does not add a motion recording mode, and the screen offers no touch input, so it remains a composition and review tool rather than a video monitor.

The 3.5 fps burst rate is also a stills figure, capturing consecutive photographs rather than a moving stream. If recording motion matters to you in any form, that rules this camera out before any other specification, because nothing in it records motion.

The 2.7 inch LCD uses 230,000 dots for framing and review. It is fixed in place with no touch input, so adjustments go through the physical controls rather than the screen.

A built-in flash handles fill light, and the option of an external flash gives a real upgrade path for portraits and indoor work.

There is no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or GPS, so images come off the camera via its cards rather than any wireless link, and no phone can control it remotely. The body has no weather sealing, so it needs protection from rain and dust.

Our Features score of 34 rates the specification as limited, weighed down by the absent touch screen, weather sealing and Bluetooth. The useful pairing that remains is live view with the optical viewfinder: you can work at eye level or switch to the screen whenever the viewfinder is awkward to use.

Two card slots accept CompactFlash (Type I or II) and xD Picture Cards, so you can choose either format for storage.

The BLS-1 battery is rated for 500 shots per charge. Treat that as a nominal figure, since the test conditions behind it are not stated, and real-world results vary with how you shoot.

Charging over USB is not supported, so you cannot top the battery up from a computer or similar source. A charged spare battery is the practical answer for long days away from a socket.

Our Storage & Battery score of 60 rates the specification as good, built on the two card slots and the 500-shot battery rating, with USB charging the notable absence.