Olympus Camedia E-20P

Olympus has also included some innovative technology into the E-20P. For exposures of half a second or longer it uses a Noise Reduction mode that takes two shots. The first is with the shutter closed in order to highlight noisy areas, and the second is in the normal way. The camera subtracts the 'black' frame data of the first image away from the second, eliminating noise in dark areas. This is important, as noise is still a problem for digital cameras with long exposure times.

Many people will also appreciate the flash, which can be set to fill-in, slow sync, red-eye reduction and either first or second curtain sync. Rounding off the flash options are a PC socket for linking into a studio flash, dedicated hotshoe and remote dedicated terminal. The last two work with the optional FL-40 Flash. Plus, if you have larger than average-sized hands, another useful accessory is the LBS-32 grip, which will make the camera bigger and more professional looking. That said, its handling is already superb. It also takes a rechargeable LBP-12 battery.

If you need interchangeable lenses and, in particular, wide-angle coverage, the Olympus E-20P isn't ideal, but for all other situations it's superb. While not quite on a par with the Nikon D1x, which is to be expected given the price difference, it's not that far behind. The E-20P is capable of serious output sizes and of producing terrific pictures. It also handles like a dream and is packed with important features. Quite simply, it's excellent value and the best SLR-type digital camera bar the Nikon D1x.

Author: John Clements