Olympus E-410 Review – Part 5 (Conclusion)
Part 5 – Conclusion
I’ll say it right now – I loved using the E-410.
From the its stylish looks and compact, solid design to the Olympus
high quality sensor and image processing that lies beneath the hood – it’s a
camera that’s impressed me with both its exterior and its internals. I believe
this is the camera that Olympus has released that will now finally enable it to
compete head to head with the entry level offerings from Canon and Nikon. How
successful it does in that battle will ultimately have as much to do with
marketing and price as anything else, but from my purely photographic point of
view, I’m very pleased for
delivered this camera and believe they should be congratulated in sticking with
the design they started with E-400 and have continued here. In many respects, I
feel like the potential of both Four Thirds and the E system is finally
arriving. I’m sure Olympus die hards will say it was already here, but in terms
of what I consider to be important, the system is really just beginning now –
which is fantastically exciting for anyone using or contemplating Olympus.
In terms of use and what I’ll get out of it, I don’t think
it’ll be of any surprise for me to say that the entry level E-410 is not about
to replace my 5D as my primary camera. I do however feel that given its size
and ability to perform, it’s going to be able to fill a much needed gap for a
second body / system for me.
The extra depth of field that the Four Thirds sensor brings, Olympus
and access to the fantastic E system lenses which are both competitively priced
and typically either faster or smaller (or in some cases both) than their
counterparts, are both two key benefits for me. As a result of using the E-410
for just a week, I’ve made the decision to adopt
as a second system. It will probably be the E-510 (or the E-1’s successor) that
ultimately ends up in my bag alongside the 5D, and only time will tell as to
how much the system is going to get going head to head against my fully kitted
Canon EOS system but I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s going to be more
than I originally anticipated.
Coming back to the E-410 for a moment, I’ll end with saying
that this is an excellent choice for an entry level DSLR and if you anticipate
becoming serious about your photography in the future, know that Olympus
already has a lot of world class glass already out there for when you’ll need
it. The E-410 is definitely able to compete head to head with its Nikon (D40X)
and Canon (400D) counterparts and although it’s a close call between the three
of them, there are definite advantages that the E-410 holds (such as Live View,
a working dust cleaning system, size advantages, the excellent / great value 14-54
lens that you can upgrade to, etc). Whether these advantages are enough to
swing you to the E-410 may come down to other factors such as price or perhaps something
intangible, but if you’re considering a purchase, you should now feel
comfortable that we’re entering an age in photography where making a bad choice
for an entry level DSLR is now becoming a thing of the past.
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Thanks for the wonderful review.
thank you for sharing
excellent work
your review is very honest in my view
thank you
Ps I can't wait for your review of the
New E-3
excellent work
your review is very honest in my view
thank you
Ps I can't wait for your review of the
New E-3
thanks – the best i read for months
Hello, Thank you for your great review.
I'm an E-1 owner and use many OM manual lenses on it. Did you find E-410 viewfinder usable for focusing and how whould you rate E-410's metering when using Zuiko OMs.
Thank you.
Thank you for this wonderful review. It's nice to see such a clear and functional review. People don't take photos in a lab and scream about every image flaw. I love how you handheld while shooting and actually used the camera instead of dissecting in search of flaws. Every camera has it's flaws and the functionality and use is what matters if the images are incredible. I have used the Oly 4/3 sys for a few years now and love it. I have showed off my images and the clarity to others with different systems. I tell them the bottom line is the ability of the photographer and their individual eye that makes a beautiful image. If you have an expensive camera it doesn't mean your images will be more impressive.. it just means you paid a lot more than me. What matters is whether the equipment is worthy of your use and if we've chosen the correct equip for ourselves. Every camera is a compromise of some sort. We don't all have unlimited funds and frankly I don't feel the need to spend more if I keep getting the results from my 4/3 system. I'll keep on showing off my images because I am getting fantastic results. Wonderful review while I wait on my e-510 it made me quite excited.
Thanks so much for posting a great review – I have owned a few Oly digitals in the past and have been wanting to buy either the e410 or 510 but have not been sure – so your review helps me decide! – Judy
Hi & thanks for this extremely interesting review. I bought an e410 a couple of months ago but still look out for useful tips on the web. I found particularly helpful your tip on liveview, which I haven't used much since I got the camera.
I upgraded to the e410 from a pro-user Olympus c5060w and in all honesty I cannot be any happier. Yes, it is not a perfect camera but it is suiting me well (so far). Good price & twin lenses kit combined actually made it for me. I have been taking pictures at live gigs with very different light settings and in each situation the camera has responded very well (always set at either 'fully manual' or 'aperture priority', never more than 400ISO (100 & 200ISO when using both dedicated flash or the camera's).
My dad has alwyas been an Olympus enthusiast, but since recently moving to the competition (he got himself a Nikon d40x) I have now been left with all of his old OM lenses. I can't wait to get hold of an adapter and see how it goes.
I wasn't too sure if the e410 was going to satisfy me. Well, it did. Only problem that really bothers me at times is the small viewfinder…
Once again, thanks for your brilliant review.
I am having trouble getting my new E-410 to take the picture in low light. It sometimes tries to use the flash to help (I think) focus. What is the best way to shoot in low light without flash? turn off autofocus? take off of the main "auto" mode?
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