Howard_Creech's Full Review: Olympus Camedia E-20N Digital Camera
Olympus’ groundbreaking Camedia E 10 accomplished some stunning design breakthroughs by using new approaches to solve old problems. The Olympus Corporation asked professional photographers to offer advice on the optimal operational layout and design of the new camera, and then followed that advice. The result was a cutting edge digital camera that photographers loved because it was designed (in large part) for photographers, by photographers. It’s too bad that Olympus didn’t consult with professional photographers again when they were designing the E10’s update.
The five megapixel E 20N doesn’t address the design limitations of the E 10. Olympus’ designers and engineers failed to capitalize on the market momentum of the very popular E 10 and ignored what the competition (and their own consumer level digital cameras) were offering customers.
The Olympus Corporation has been pioneering unique imaging innovations for decades, and they’ve held a consistent leadership position in the evolution of the digital photography phenomenon. During the dawn of the digital imaging revolution, when most digital cameras were nothing more than “techno” toys, the Olympus D300L was a serious and competent image-maker. The Olympus C 3000 (and the updated C 3020) is one of the best consumer digital camera deals currently available, with lots of features and superb performance. A digicam that is capable of producing excellent digital images for a bargain price. The Olympus Camedia E 10 SLR was the first four megapixel digital camera and it offered pro features and performance at a price that saved thousands over interchangeable lens digital SLR’s.
Olympus should have had a winner in the Camedia E 20N, instead the camera is a disappointment because several competing digital camera models (the Nikon CP 5000, the Minolta Dimage 7, and the Sony FD 707) equal or surpass its features and performance for less than half its price.
The E-20N features the same sturdy construction, excellent TTL optical viewfinder (now with a focusing screen), and 4X zoom offered on the Olympus E 10. All the controls are logically laid out, just where you’d expect them to be, and the large handgrip makes handling and extended shooting a breeze. The boxy aluminum alloy body looks and handles like a 35mm or a modular Medium Format SLR.
The E 20N is a large fairly heavy camera with a solid professional feel. Those who like or need the traditional "mirror slap" noise can use the built-in shutter/mirror sound effect. It’s emitted from a speaker on the bottom of the camera and can be set for on or off and louder or softer. When the E 20N’s shutter is tripped the viewfinder "blacks out" momentarily, allowing old timers a comforting 35mm/Medium Format SLR bit of shutter feedback.
Ergonomics
Changing recording modes, flash modes, drive modes, white balance, metering, storage device, focus and exposure compensation can be accomplished without resorting to menu use. Most settings are changed by pressing a button or turning a dial (you can check settings on the top-mounted data display) like a conventional 35mm or Medium Format SLR. The E 20N has a large handgrip which provides a secure, stable, and comfortable means of holding the camera.
The controls are well laid out and easy to use with a minimum of confusion or duplication of effort. The right index finger falls naturally on the shutter button and the right thumb goes intuitively to the rear command dial. The left hand holds the lens (just like a 35mm SLR) and the fingers of the left hand go right to the manual zoom ring. You’ll only need to handle the E 20N for a few minutes (especially if you are a long time 35mm SLR user) before you feel right at home with it.
Viewfinder
The E 20N’s viewfinder shows the exact image that’s framed by the lens, but unlike most 35mm SLR cameras the E-20 doesn’t use a mirror to send the image to the viewfinder, instead it employs a prism to split the image between the viewfinder and the CCD imager. The eyelevel viewfinder is very bright with clearly defined AF and spot metering areas in the center. Along the bottom edge of the viewfinder is the digital status display (autofocus "OK" indicator, flash status icon, macro mode icon, shutter speed and aperture value, metering mode icon, exposure compensation value, AE Lock icon and white balance)
LCD
1.8-inch color TFT LCD (brightness is adjustable) can be operated flush with the rear plane of the camera, tilted downward 20 degrees, or upwards 90 degrees (sort of like an “old time” waist level finder)
Lens
The E-20's lens is a large fixed mount 4X zoom (with ED glass and two aspherical elements to help reduce chromatic aberrations). Because the lens is NOT interchangeable the CCD imager is never exposed to dust, airborne contaminants, or moisture. The fast F2.0 maximum aperture and multi-blade diaphragm give true depth of field control. The zoom's focal length is manually controlled like 35mm SLR zooms by turning a ring on the lens (it also has a manual focus ring). The focus range is from 0.6m to infinity and as close as 4 inches in macro mode.
The lens features internal focusing (the front element doesn’t rotate) and uses 62mm filters. According to Olympus, the 35 – 140mm/ f2.0-2.4 (35mm equivalent) zoom is the first lens designed from the ground up specifically as a digital camera lens. The lens is fully manual with no "power" zoom. Olympus designed the lens to mate perfectly with the Olympus CCD. Digital sensors require a "straight line" light path, stray light, flare, and internal reflections seriously degrade the quality of the final image. The E 10/E 20N's zoom lens is focused directly on the CCD. This provides extremely clean, sharp as a tack and almost noise free image files. Manual focus is step-less and feels very much like focusing a 35mm or Medium Format Zoom.
Metering
The E 20N features the same metering options as the E10. When used outdoors, the E 20N requires a willingness (on the part of the photographer) to change the metering modes as required by lighting and scene reflectance, and the experience to understand the need to match the metering to prevalent lighting. Metering options include Olympus' iESP mode (multi-pattern) Centerweighted (11% central area) and Spot (1.6% spot) metering for pinpoint exposure accuracy.
Exposure
There's a fully automatic Program AE mode, Shutter Priority and Aperture Priority modes, and a full manual mode. The E 20N doesn’t offer any dedicated “Scene” modes (Night, Beach, Portrait, Landscape, etc). The AE Bracket mode allows you to capture three exposures every time you press the shutter (the camera will automatically vary the exposure value used by 1/3, 2/3 or 1.0EV) Bracketing is available in every mode except Manual.
Maximum shutter speed varies depending on the image capture mode. In the Interlaced mode you can select shutter speeds from 2 seconds to 1/640th of a second in Program, and Shutter/Aperture Priority modes. In Manual from 60 seconds to 1/640th of a second (or Bulb up to 8 minutes) Selecting the Progressive Scan mode gives you 2 seconds to 1/4000th or 1/18000th of a second (in PSA modes) and from 60 secs to 1/4000th or 1/18000th of a second (Bulb up to 8 minutes) in Manual mode, but with a fifty per cent reduction in resolution. The E 20N can be used in Program mode like a point and shoot camera, however the camera will generally yield the best images if the user is willing to tweak contrast, sharpness, white balance, and use the priority modes.
Built in flash
The built-in flash offers five modes (Automatic, Fill, Redeye Reduction, Slow Synchro, Slow Synchro w/Redeye.) and flash intensity can be adjusted from -2 to +2 stops in 1/3 EV increments. The effective range is 0.6 to 18.3 feet (0.2 to 5.6m) at ISO 100. The auto Flash mode fires the flash automatically in low light or back lit situations to help ensure even illumination. The fill-in Mode softens sharp contrasts giving a more natural look in images where your subject is in both bright light and dark shadow.
The built-in flash is well placed (not on the lens axis) which helps reduce redeye problems. If you need a more powerful or versatile flash, the E 20N has a hot shoe and (very rare) a PC connection.
External Flash
The flash hot shoe accepts the more powerful Olympus FL-40 external flash (which operates in full TTL control mode). The FL-40 provides bounce flash capability and enhances the infrared focus-assist system with its own IR sensor. The internal flash and FL-40 can be used together, when needed. The FL-40's output intensity is fully controlled by the E-20's exposure system. For off-camera flash you can use the Canon (Olympus doesn’t offer an off camera flash cable) Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2 and mount the FL-40 on a Stroboframe bracket. Third-party external flashes and studio lights can be connected to the PC sync terminal
Storage Media
The E-20 (like the E 10) supports both (dual slot) SmartMedia and CompactFlash types I & II. Any size 3.3v SmartMedia card and/or any capacity CompactFlash type I or II card or IBM Microdrive may be used. Both card slots can be filled and the user selects desired media with the SM/CF button. The 1GB IBM Microdrive is going for around $350, and you’ll probably need it, the E-20's SHQ/Fine JPEGs run between 3.3 and 4MB each, raw files run about 9.5MB, and TIFF images run as high as 15MB.
Power
Power for the E-20 comes from 2 Olympus CR-V3 lithiums, 4 x AA Ni-MH or Ni-Cd batteries, an optional AC power supply, or the optional battery grip (B-HLD10) and high-power lithium polymer battery (B-10LPB). The “Power Grip” also provides a vertical shutter release. For most average users the camera's internal batteries will be more than adequate if you limit LCD usage.
Features
White Balance
iESP-TTL Automatic, or presets from 3,000 to 7,500 degrees Kelvin, or a user selected custom white balance setting. The E 20N has professional level white balance features, but photographers will need to carefully read the manual to maximize those capabilities
In Camera
Sharpeness: Hard, Normal or Soft
Contrast: High, Normal or Low
Interval Timer/ Time-lapse Mode: The camera will take pictures automatically (from 1 minute to 24 hours) until the batteries are exhausted or the memory card is full. What is missing is a Saturation setting, something available on almost all prosumer digicams.
Noise Reduction
A new feature on the E 20N is the Noise Reduction mode, which uses dark frame subtraction for cleaner long exposure images. The E 20N will make a second exposure with the shutter closed, compare the blank exposure with the first image, and then subtract noise. Shutter speeds of up to 60 seconds in Manual and 8 minutes with the Bulb setting can be used.
Technical Specifications
Resolution: 5.24 megapixels 2560 x 1920 (interlaced scan mode) or 1792 x 1344 (progressive scan mode)
LCD Screen: 1.8”
Viewfinder: Optical (TTL w/full info display)
Flash: Built-in multi mode and external flash capable. PC Flash Sync for Studio and PC Sync type flash units.
White Balance: Auto, Preset (7 step from 3000K to 7500K) & Manual
Noise Reduction: yes
Histogram: yes
Sensitivity/ISO: User selectable 80, 160, & 320
Shutter Speed: 60 seconds to 1/640th of a second plus (IS mode) 1/18,000th of a second (PS mode) “B” (up to 8 minutes)*
Shutter Lag: 60 Ms
Exposure Compensation: ±3 EV in 1/3 EV steps)
Lens: 4X Zoom, f2.0-f2.4/35-140mm (35mm equiv) 14 elements in 11 groups. Filter size 62mm
Power: 2 CR-V3 lithium or 4 AA batteries (NiMH recommended)
Storage Media: Dual Slot CF or SM (32mb SM card included) compatible with IBM MicroDrives
Connectivity: Auto-Connect (Storage Class) USB
Included
32MB SmartMedia card, Two CR-V3 lithium batteries (non-rechargeable), Neck strap, USB cable, Video cable, Lens hood, Lens cap, Remote control, CD-ROM (Olympus Camedia Master software), 211 page manual (printed)
Olympus doesn’t include rechargeable batteries or a charger with the E 20N (the optional “Power Grip” costs $600). The 32Mb SmartMedia card might be OK with a 2 or even 3 Megapixel Digital camera, but with a $2000 “pro” 5 Megapixel digital camera Olympus should have included re-chargeable batteries (with charger/AC adapter) and at least a 64 Mb SM card.
*Higher shutter speeds (1/4000, 1/18,000 sec) and the fastest burst rates are ONLY available in the lower resolution progressive scan (@ 2.5 megapixel 1792 x 1344) mode.
In the Field/Handling and Operation
My friend and I have been testing the Olympus Camedia E 20N since December; we’ve taken it on four different photographic outings. Early on a Saturday afternoon with three inches of fresh snow (lighting was decent, but a little flat) we took the E 20N to Cave Hill Cemetery. Both of us had been waiting for a fresh fairly heavy snowfall in order to test the Nikkor 35/f1.4 AIS lens. We had decided to shoot some B&W images of the oldest part of Cave Hill (ancient trees and early to mid-nineteenth century tombstones) with Kodak T-Max 400Cn (a C41 color process B&W film) as soon as we got enough snow to make it interesting.
When we arrived everything was covered with about three inches of pristine new snow. It was so quiet that you could hear traffic noise from Baxter Avenue (3/4 of a mile away) clearly. We had brought the Camedia E 20N along because snow is one of the very best tests for camera metering programs. Our tests with the four megapixel Sony DCS-S 85 had shown some real problems with the camera blowing out highlights in snow scenes, the E 20N handled these metering situations more like a pro level 35mm camera.
Later that afternoon we shot sledders on Dog Hill in Cherokee Park. The E 20N’s maximum 1/640th of a second shutter speed in the five megapixel mode really limited using the zoom’s maximum aperture to blur the background. The Nikon CP5000 (which we were testing simultaneously) did a great job of turning out super five megapixel shots of sledders in bright colors zooming down the steep hill, And allowed us to use selective focus to accentuate the sledders and blur the background. Strangely the $900 Nikon CP 500 camera did a better job than the $2000 Olympus Camedia E 20N.
Kentucky is one of the most beautiful places on the planet three seasons of the year. During spring, summer, and fall nature puts on a magnificent show in the Bluegrass State. But during the winter, Kentucky is not usually an attractive place. We get very little snow. By Sunday our fresh snow was looking pretty funky, rain and gray skies made for some flat dull light when we took the E20N to Cherokee Park to shoot what was left of the fresh snow and the icy edges of Beargrass Creek. The sky was so ugly that we were only able to shoot “intimate Landscapes” close-up shots of small areas like those of master photographer Eliot Porter.
When we used the Olympus Camedia E 20N to shoot color tests (using brightly colored plastic toys) with a homemade close-up set** tripod mounted camera, and controlled lighting, the E 20N’s real talents started to show. The E 20N will work absolutely great for shooting formal portraits, product illustrations, catalog shots, fashion & glamour, and model photography), especially with the PC contact capability (almost unlimited pro lighting options). My friend spent several years as a studio photographer and he was in his element with the E 20N. Outside and action shooting were pretty disappointing, but inside with strictly controlled studio lighting and mounted on a sturdy tripod, this digital camera behaves like a classic studio camera.
The next weekend my friend asked me if I wanted to go to the “Great American Train Show”, a model railroading exhibition at the Kentucky International Convention Center. I said “not really, amigo. Model choo choos haven’t done much for me since I was twelve years old” he said, “There will be lots of mature individuals dressed up like diesel engineers and Cannonball Special Conductors, over 10,000 model trains, and some of the most complex and realistic model railway layouts in the world. These folks take their tiny worlds seriously and the stuff is so realistic that it makes great images.” I allowed myself to be convinced and off we went. The train show was a great idea; the tiny worlds encircled by speeding trains were absolutely fascinating.
As we walked around checking out the displays, it looked like a convention of retired railroad workers, with lots of middle aged guys in full engineer/conductor regalia. They all made excellent photographic subjects for street/environmental portrait style shots, I got one shot of a guy in full engineer costume leaned over checking out his model train layout from eye level, with a couple of wide eyed youngsters standing right behind him. The super realistic towns in the displays were complete with cars, dogs, houses, factories, airports, supermarkets, lakes, and of course lots of trains. The E 20N did a fine job and we had a great afternoon. My friend seems to have caught the model-railroading bug, a clear and obvious case of “choo choo fever”, because he is now talking about purchasing some model trains. Does epinions have a model train category? I hope so, because it looks like I might get the chance to play with (oops! I mean review) some pretty nifty toys in the near future.
Timing
The camera’s ramp up cycle is about 5 seconds from Off to ready to shoot. This cycle time lag may be quicker or slower depending on the memory device being used because the camera reads the memory device during the boot up sequence. Once up and running/focused, the E 20N has virtually no shutter lag (.60 Ms) and is comparable to 35mm SLR shutter lag times.
A few concerns
The ability to shoot “selective focus” (the subject is sharp and the background is blurred and out of focus) is an absolute necessity for professional photographers (street, environmental portraits, photojournalism, sports/action photography). The Olympus Camedia E 20N has a fast Zoom lens and true multi blade diaphragm, but the top shutter speed of 1/640th of a second (in the five megapixel resolution mode) makes the camera virtually useless outdoors for selective focus photography. A glaring and unacceptable design flaw in a supposedly professional camera.
The most frustrating issue with the E 10 was the stuck/dead/hot pixel problem. Many E-10's had bad pixels on the CCD, which showed up as colored dots in photos. The E 20N addresses this problem with a feature called Pixel Mapping that can isolate and remove these bad pixels.
The Olympus is certainly more expensive than the other currently available five megapixel cameras (with the exception of the Nikon D1X). Street price for the E 20N is between $1800 and $2000. For just a bit more than two grand you can get a Canon EOS D30 or Fuji Finepix S1 Pro body that will offer lots more options. The Olympus E 20N may be more camera than you really need, so unless you need the pro level construction, a Nikon CP 5000, Sony FD 707, or Minolta Dimage 7 may be a better choice.
The E 20N is an excellent camera, but it seems more like a step down than an upgrade. A major problem is the ridiculously slow write times. Digital cameras like the Sony DSC-F707, The Nikon CP 5000, and the Minolta Dimage 7 (all 5 Megapixel pro-sumer models) blow the E-20's shot-to-shot speeds out of the water.
Conclusion
The Olympus E 10 broke new ground in significant and important ways, so it was pretty easy to overlook its faults and shortcomings. The E 20N doesn’t rise to the same level of cutting edge innovation. Where the E 10 wrote a new chapter in the history of digital camera evolution, the E 20 settles for familiar territory and the status quo, with no real effort to continue the E 10’s innovation.
The Olympus designed TTL viewfinder on the E 10/E 20N is the heart of the camera, the strongest feature, and its most important deviation from standard digital camera design. Hopefully Olympus’ competitors (are you listening Nikon and Canon?) will figure out a way to incorporate this exciting feature in their next generation of digital cameras. I would love to see the next generation Nikon Coolpix 5000 sporting a TTL viewfinder 6 megapixel resolution, and 6X zoom.
The E 10 was the first of its kind and I really liked it, so I was pre-disposed to like the E 20N as well. Unfortunately Olympus didn’t listen to the complaints and concerns of professional and serious amateur photographers. Most of those complaints were pretty straightforward and would have been relatively easy to fix. The ridiculous write/cycle times for the E 20N discourage professional use; 15 seconds to write a five megapixel image and a four image buffer that doesn’t permit access to settings, the menu, image display, or LCD use during the transfer period. Simply put, this means that after shooting four quick images (10-12 seconds) you must wait at least forty seconds before you can do anything with the camera. Olympus should have provided a larger buffer and a higher performance storage interface. An seriously updated E 10 needed to provide six megapixel resolution, a 6X zoom, and a top shutter speed (in the highest resolution mode) of 1/4000th of a second to be genuinely competitive.
The E 20N is a balanced imaging tool, with great resolution, a neutral tonal and color balance, a superbly built and designed body, studio flash capability (which works very well) a mechanically linked zoom, and an array of manual controls. But with the advances in digicam technology over the last year or two I expected to see major improvements in E 20N, and in the final analysis, the E 20N is simply a higher resolution version of the E 10. Overall, I can’t recommend the Olympus Camedia E 20N. If you can afford two thousand bucks buy a Canon D30 or a Fujifilm S1 Pro body or buy a Nikon Coolpix 5000, a Minolta Dimage 7, or a Sony FD 707, and save yourself a thousand bucks. You can use the money to take a nice trip or buy something special for your sweetie.
A Final Note
The E 20N's introduction has discounted the price of the on hand inventory of 4-megapixel E 10's, which can now be found for less than $1500. Wait a while and E 10 prices will fall to the $1200-$1300 range.
A Few Words About Testing/Reviewing Digital Cameras
To fairly test photographic equipment it is necessary to compare the camera/lens/film/tripod/etc. to models/products with similar features. Comparing 5 megapixel “Top of the Line” digital cameras to 2 megapixel amateur/entry level digital cameras doesn’t provide consumers with any useful information. Obviously the 5 megapixel unit is going to win in every category except price, but not everyone needs a five megapixel camera. In order for tests/conclusions from reviewers to have any validity, they must explain just exactly what is being tested and how the results are relevant to potential purchasers. Blanket endorsements (ALL Nikon cameras are great) and blanket condemnations (ALL Sigma lenses suck) should be dismissed as hyperbole, since conclusions of this sort are based more on personal bias (brand loyalty) than objective and verifiable data.
**How to construct a simple Macro-Close-up/Product display stage for home studio photography
Ask someone at your local supermarket to save you one of the large (40”X40”X40”) cardboard boxes that paper towels come in, or you can use a smaller cardboard box for smaller subjects. With an exacto knife cut the top flaps and one side panel off the box (leaving three upright sides and a bottom) the open side of the box is now the front of your macro set. Line the interior of the box with a solid colored sheet or with seamless background paper. Place the box on a sturdy table and set up your camera (mounted on a tripod) in front of the open (cut away) front panel of the box.
Tape a large sheet of stiff white poster board to the rear (opposite the cut away front panel) of the cardboard box with heavy duty tape and tape the wire coat hangers or very thin wooden dowel rods to the sides of the box (one support on either side and perpendicular to the cut away box edge) near the front. Use these supports to prop the poster board above the box (as a reflector) at approximately a forty-five degree angle. Once you've set up your camera and using an external---hot shoe mounted flash, tilt your flash head upward to fire directly at the poster board and you’ll have a simple product display “set” with even bounce lighting. This will provide many of the benefits of multi light studio lighting set-ups. Place your subject near the front of the box (the seamless background paper or sheet becomes an out of focus solid color background) and shoot close-ups like a pro. Your subject will appear to float in a featureless solid color environment, which will direct all the viewer’s attention to the subject.
You'll need to experiment a bit to get the angles and lighting right, but with a little work, this home-made set-up will allow any competent photographer to shoot professional looking close-ups. This set-up can be used to shoot items for display on e-bay. More dramatic and attractive images will help e-bay sellers display their goods to best advantage, which is likely to result in faster sales at a higher price.
This works best with SLR cameras and hot shoe mounted external flash units with tilt-swivel heads. You’ll need a macro lens or a zoom lens with macro/close focusing capability. Flash units with variable output (or fill flash mode) will provide the best results. If lighting appears harsh in test shots---cover the flash head with a thin piece of white cloth (like a handkerchief) to diffuse the light output.
Are you considering spreading your imaging wings and setting up your very own “digital” darkroom? Check out my review of a bargain priced and very capable photo quality ink-jet printer.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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