Review: Olympus E-400 digital SLR

The FourThirds system mentioned earlier refers to the aspect ratio of the photo sensor of, and hence the photographs taken with, the E-400. These are the same shape as a typical non-widescreen monitor or TV and “squarer” than typical 35mm film or many other digital image formats.

The CCD sensor itself is also somewhat smaller than in other digital camera systems, presenting additional challenges when it comes to dealing with image noise.

In testing, we found very little noise in evidence: At ISO 100 and with noise reduction turned on, we had to look very hard for noise – but it was definitely there. A similarly low level of noise was maintained at higher ISOs, so we feel that fears of excessive noise in the FourThirds system are largely unfounded – especially in a mid-range product such as this.

The E-400’s built-in flash doubles as an auto-focus illuminator, flickering rapidly and repeatedly until the proper focus is achieved. If you don’t want to draw attention to yourself like a mini fireworks display, you can turn this function off.

Dust can be a major problem for users of cameras with removable lenses. Because the camera is open to the air while lenses are being exchanged, the possibility arises for foreign objects to enter the camera body and become attached to the CCD sensor.

To help combat this, Olympus’s anti-dust system, called SSWF for Super Sonic Wave Filer, kicks in each time the camera is turned on. As on the E-500 and E-330 models, a small blue LED flickers for about one second until the process is complete.

Unlike these cameras, the E-400 doesn’t force you to watch a time-wasting animation each time the feature activates. The camera is ready to shoot as soon as the SSWF has finished – it’s not quite as quick to get going as a Nikon D80, but if it prevents time-consuming cleaning later this very short delay isn’t really much to put up with.

We were very impressed overall with the quality of images produced by the E-400. In addition to the low image noise, we found the supplied kit lenses to produce very sharp pictures that certainly didn’t suffer from their significant size reduction.

Combined with the excellent metering in the camera body, this makes the E-400 a worthy contender in the increasingly crowded mid-range digital SLR market. A range of accessories including an underwater housing is available.

Also consider:
Nikon D80
Mid-priced 10-megapixel digital SLR for professional-looking pictures

Canon EOS 400D
The Canon EOS 400D builds on the success of the 350D and is an excellent entry-level digital SLR

Olympus E330
More than just an upgrade to the E-300, Olympus's digital SLR now has a live LCD viewfinder

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