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Live View operation is very slick, with a choice of either viewfinder and L-MOS imager based AF operation. A wide-area 11-point system with a face-detection option is handy for groups and over-head shots. Focus operation in LV mode is understandably slower, even when using the viewfinder AF mode, but the additional versatility is welcome nonetheless.

Another AF option, accessed using the Info button, with the ability to place an AF target anywhere on the screen is similarly handy for macro and studio applications. Image magnification options of 5x/7x/10x operated from the OK button are essential for focus accuracy but also further the attraction.

The only niggle is that full compatibility with the imager AF operation is restricted (for the time being at least) to the 25mm f/2.8, 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6, 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6, 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 II Zuikos, so please check first if you have other lens combinations.

Turning off the LV mode and using the optical viewfinder is the most likely mode of operation for most day to day shooting, and it’s here that the E-620 reveals another shortcoming. Like the E-520 the viewfinder is small and a bit cramped, though that’s partly due to the native 4:3 aspect ratio as well as the sensor size.

Gone is the three-point viewfinder AF system of the E-520 too. It has been replaced by a 7-point system, based on the E-30’s 11-point AF module. Focus accuracy was generally very good, however, but the four outer points of the E-30’s central group are missing, so while fine held horizontally, some lack of coverage is noticeable when holding the camera vertically.

Viewfinder information has been expanded to include the selected ISO and the E-620 displays the chosen ISO if left to Auto ISO, so between that and the excellent main LCD acting as an info panel you know what’s happening at all times. I should also add that the viewfinder data has been moved from the side to underneath the focusing screen. I kind of liked it where it was, but there were many who didn’t.

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