Olympus E20N: professional feel, nice features, but slow performance. (Reviews).

With the E20N, Olympus has simultaneously upgraded its premier digital SLR, the E10, and introduced its first 5-megapixel camera.

For the most part, the E20N is the same camera as the 4-megapixel E10, but it has a 5-megapixel sensor. Olympus has also added a few features, such as a unique Progressive Scan mode and a new noise-reduction filter.

Solid Body

The E20N has the same sturdy build, all-metal body, and pro-camera heft as the E10, as well as the same nonremovable, 9mm-36mm (equivalent to 35mm-140mm) f-2.0-to-f-2.4 lens. The camera's manual-zoom ring provides quick, accurate zoom control, while the focus ring provides a manual focus like that of a film camera. Though the lack of interchangeable lenses may seem a bit dubious at this price point, it's hard to complain about the quality or feel of the E20N's lens, and the new camera is fully compatible with Olympus's previous lens-extension offerings.

The E10 and E20N are unique among digital SLRs in that they allow you to use the LCD screen as a viewfinder, in addition to the normal TTL optical viewfinder. What's more, the LCD can tilt out and away from the cameras body, ideal for waist-level shooting.