Olympus E620

The Olympus E620 is a compact DSLR released in 2009. Measuring 130 x 94 x 60 mm and weighing around 500 g, it is comfortable to carry on long handheld days.

Its Live MOS sensor and in-body stabilisation suit everyday subjects, travel and anyone learning photography with interchangeable lenses.

It records no video, so it suits photographers whose interest is entirely in still images. Ownership also involves CompactFlash and xD memory cards and a battery that charges outside the camera rather than over a cable.

A 12.3 megapixel Live MOS sensor sits at the heart of the camera, paired with the TruePic III+ processor. That resolution gives files with enough detail for prints and moderate cropping, and the Micro Four Thirds sensor format keeps the body and lenses relatively small.

In-body stabilisation is the key practical strength here. The sensor shifts to counter camera shake, so every lens you attach gains steadier handheld shooting at slower shutter speeds. It will not freeze a moving subject, but it lets you keep the ISO down in dim interiors.

The 4 fps maximum burst suits candid moments and relaxed family scenes rather than fast sport. Shutter speeds reach 1/4000s, which covers most daylight work, and sensitivity spans ISO 200 to 3200, so very dark scenes will push the camera near its ceiling.

Autofocus uses seven points and the optical pentamirror viewfinder gives a direct view of the scene. With so few points, off-centre subjects can mean focusing on the nearest point and recomposing.

The E620 does not record video, so any moving-image work needs a separate device.

There is no built-in timelapse mode either, so building sequences from stills means capturing frames one at a time rather than setting an automated interval.

For a purely stills photographer this costs nothing. Framing relies on the optical pentamirror viewfinder or live view on the flip-out screen.

The flip-out LCD works with live view, so you can frame stills from waist level or above a crowd. The screen is small at 2.7 inches with 230,000 dots, which is fine for composing but makes checking fine focus and detail less precise.

Flash options are practical. A built-in unit covers indoor snapshots and fill light, and an external flash can be added when you need more power or bounce control.

The Features score of 34 reflects real gaps: no touchscreen, no weather sealing and no Bluetooth, with the low screen dot count also costing points. The camera sits in the bottom 15% of cameras in our database for Features, which matters most if you shoot in rough conditions or check focus on the screen.

Two memory card slots are fitted, one for CompactFlash Type I or II cards and one for xD Picture Cards. Keeping a card in each gives you spare capacity without carrying loose cards, though the slots take different formats rather than two of the same type.

The BLS-1 battery is rated at 500 shots, though the conditions behind that figure are not specified, so treat it as a guide rather than a promise. There is no USB charging, so the battery charges outside the camera rather than over a cable.

The Storage & Battery score of 60 is rated good, earned with full marks for the dual card slots, while partial battery-life credit and no USB-charging points pull it down.