Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Photography
  3. News

Olympus E-600 Makes DSLRs Easier on the Wallet

Geoff Duncan
By

Olympus E-600There are lots of people who enjoy digital photography but stick to consumer-oriented point-and-shoot cameras for one simple reason: DSLRs are expensive. Although we don’t ever expect the flexibility and power of DSLRs will ever come down in price far enough to really give point-and-shoot consumer cameras a run for their money, Olympus looks to be trying its best, announcing today its new E-600 digital single lens reflex camera, which is almost point-for-point feature comparable to the company’s recently introduced E-620…but comes in $100 cheaper, making it easier to folks to get into the DSLR arena.

“With the E-600, Olympus has answered the call for a more affordable and creative camera that has everything you could need to get great results,” said Olympus’s senior marketing manager John Knaur, in a statement.

Recommended Videos

The E-600 offers a 12.3 megapixel resolution, a 2.7-inch swivel LCD display, in-body image stabilization, and a 4 fps burst mode that lets users capture action shots with ease. As with all DSLRs, the E-600 offers manual focus, but also features a fast autofocus system, both a live LCD preview and an optical viewfinder, face detection (with support for up to eight faces in a shot), a dust reduction system for keeping the sensor clean, and the ability to store images to CompactFlash (Type I or II), Microdrive, or xD media. For creative types—and perhaps to appeal to customers transitioning from the point-and-shoot world—the E-600 also offers in-camera Art Filters, including Pop Art, Soft Focus, and Pin Hole filter effects that can be applied to images right in-camera, with the results available right away on the LCD preview—although it’s bigger brother (the E-620) had three more Art Filters to show off. The E-620 also sports backlit buttons (which could be handy for shooting in dark conditions) and a two-shot multi-exposure feature—but if those features aren’t deal-breakers, the E-600 is substantially cheaper.

Related

Olympus says the E-600 will be available in November with a ED 14–42mm ƒ3.5/5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens for an estimated price of $599.99; the E-620 currently goes for around $700 with the same lens, or $600 for a body-only configuration.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Canon EOS Rebel T7 vs. Canon EOS Rebel T7i: One letter makes a big difference
Canon Rebel T7i review

Previous

Next

Read more
What is a mirrorless camera, and what makes it different from a DSLR?
Fujifilm GFX 100 review

What is a mirrorless camera and what sets it apart from a DSLR? If you're new to the world of interchangeable lens cameras, it can be confusing trying to figure out which type is best for you. Here's how a mirrorless camera works and what sets it apart from its mirror-laden counterparts.
Defining a mirrorless camera

As the name suggests, a mirrorless camera is one that doesn’t require a mirror, a key component of a DSLR (which stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex, the word "reflex" referring to the reflective nature of the mirror). The mirror in a DSLR bounces it up to the optical viewfinder. In a mirrorless camera, there is no optical viewfinder. Instead, the imaging sensor is exposed to light at all times. This gives you a digital preview of your image either on the rear LCD screen or an electronic viewfinder (EVF). Mirrorless cameras are called "mirrorless," rather than DSLRs being called "mirrored," simply because they came second.

Read more
What is live view? How to make the most of this feature on your DSLR
fujifilm x t2 review screen

If you're feeling confused by the live view function on your camera, don’t worry; the process of using it couldn’t be more straightforward. Over the decades, photographers have traditionally scoped a scene by looking through their camera’s optical viewfinder. In the film days, that was the only way to frame your photo, but with the development of the DSLR, and later the mirrorless camera, pretty much all systems today give you the option of using live view mode (this is, in fact, the only mode on mirrorless cameras).

In basic terms, live view takes what your camera sees straight from its imaging sensor and displaying it on the LCD screen. On a DSLR, this means locking the mirror up and the shutter open so that the sensor is always exposed to light, bypassing the optical viewfinder entirely. There are several advantages -- and some disadvantages -- to shooting in this mode. Here's how to make the most of it.
Why use live view?
The first benefit of using live view is that, compared to the viewfinder, you get a much larger picture of what your camera can see. Those who practice genres such as landscape photography will particularly benefit from this. Why? Well, in a genre where there's little room for error, having the larger screen gives you a more detailed perspective. This helps you to get perfect exposures, composition, and focus.

Read more