Olympus E-400 Review
Review Date: January 25th 2007
Author: Michael Roscoe
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Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were captured using
the (SHQ) JPEG setting with the large (3648 x 2736/10M) image
size option producing a file that is between 6-7Mb.
Noise
The Olympus E-400 has an impressive 13 ISO settings that
can be set when shooting in the PSAM modes. The E-400's 100-1600
ISO range should enable photographers enough flexibility to
capture images in both bright and dull illumination. Its lowest
rating outputs virtually noise free files up to ISO 800. It
is only at its highest setting that any grain becomes noticeable
in shadow areas. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise
levels for each ISO setting.
Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality
50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening
applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images at the
default setting are a little soft and benefit from some further
sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. Alternatively
you can change the in-camera sharpening level if you don't
like the default results.
File Quality
This Olympus E-400 has four different file quality settings
with SHQ being the highest quality JPEG option and RAW producing
the largest file size. Here are some 100% crops which show
the quality of the various options, with the file size shown
in brackets.
Chromatic Aberrations
The Olympus E-400 performed impressively showing no signs
of chromatic aberrations or purple fringing even when capturing
images with high-contrast lighting. Here is a 100% crop which
shows how few chromatic aberrations there are:
Macro
Entry-level DSLR users opting for the Olympus E-400 kit will
find the two lenses will enable them to capture most general
subject matter. However, the 28-84mm and 80-300mm (35mm equiv.)
lenses are not capable of a true 1:1 macro reproduction, but
practitioners will be able to get quite near with a 25cm focusing
distance. The first image shows how close you can get to the
subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image
is a 100% crop.
Flash
The Olympus E-400's pop-up flash has a guide number of 10
and flash compensation of +/- 2 EV in 1/3 EV steps. It also
has a plethora of settings including red-eye reduction, slow
synchronization, slow synchronisation 2nd curtain, a fill-in
function and slow synchronisation with red-eye reduction.
These shots of a magnolia wall were taken at a distance of
1.5m. Below are also some test shots in the different flash
modes.
And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither
the Flash On setting or the Red-Eye Reduction option caused
any red-eye.
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Flash On (100% Crop) |
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Flash - Red-Eye Reduction (100%
Crop) |
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Night Shot
The Olympus E-400 maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds, which
is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography.
The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 0.3 seconds,
aperture of f/5 at ISO 1600. I've included a 100% crop of
the image to show what the quality is like.
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Night Shot (100% Crop) |
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Overall Image Quality
The Olympus E-400 manages to incorporate a 10.8 megapixel
4:3 ratio CCD sensor. Its 10 million effective pixels produce
impressive results that should more than satisfy the discerning
photo enthusiast. The Olympus SHQ (JPEG) image files can easily
be printed out at A4 size, as its image size is 30.89 x 23.16
cm at 300ppi. Photographers will inevitably notice some grain
at higher ISOs and minor pixelation when output at A3 size,
but any imperfections are acceptable for a camera in this
price range. Overall image quality is good enough even though
some images may benefit from extra sharpening. Colours appear
natural and accurately rendered, and it is difficult to spot
any chromatic aberrations or any evidence of purple fringing,
even in challenging lighting conditions. The E-400's 100-1600
ISO range should enable photographers enough flexibility to
capture images in both bright and dull illumination. Its lowest
rating outputs virtually noise free files up to ISO 800. It
is only at its highest setting that any grain becomes noticeable
in shadow areas. Most sub £1000 DSLR feature a built-in pop-up
flash and the one on the Olympus E-400 is more than capable
of filling in backlit subjects and avoiding red-eye with ease.
 PhotographyBLOG
is a member of the DIWA
organisation. Our test results for the Olympus E-400 have
been submitted to DIWA
for comparison with test results for different samples of
the same camera model supplied by other DIWA
member sites.
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