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Images shot with the Olympus E-620 and a discussion of photo quality.
Lori Grunin
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
There doesn't seem to be any completely noise-free ISO sensitivity--even at ISO 100 you can see stippling in some shadows--and while there's little sharpness drop-off by ISO 400 a bit of contouring begins to appear in dark areas and the color noise becomes more pronounced. Still, for its class, photos remain generally acceptable through ISO 800 and usable through ISO 3,200 depending upon scene content.
At ISO 800, shadow areas appear a bit stippled, but the overall photos still look pretty good. Beyond that there's a visible decrease in dynamic range and increase in color mottling, but the photo quality fares quite well for the price. (1/320 sec, f5.6, ISO 800, 14-42mm lens)
For kit lenses, both the 14-42mm and 40-150mm are pretty good, delivering relatively sharp photos with minimal aberration. I only wish they could focus closer. (1/80, f4.5, ISO 200, 40-150mm lens)
Overall, the E-620's metering system works well and its dynamic range is sufficient to correctly handling even very difficult exposures. (1/320, f10, ISO 200, 14-42mm lens)
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