Olympus D-620L

Don’t call it a comeback. In fact, don’t call the D-620L a breakthrough either. The latest from Olympus is really a minor bugfix for the company’s 1997 Kick Ass D-600L camera. The 1.4 megapixel CCD delivers the same 1280×1024 images, and the seven-element TTL 3x zoom lens is still the best in its class. What’s new? An external flash sync (to keep up with the Kodaks). And additional buffer memory boasts burst shooting in the ballpark of 3fps. But one of the most important fixes addresses the D-600L’s Achilles’ heel—power consumption. Four NiMH batteries are included in the box this time out, as well as an “intelligent” battery recharger. The camera also has a new battery-saving mode. A significant res boost and reinforced body design (as well as a switch to the much more roomy CompactFlash removable media) might have kept this year’s model at the head of the pack. Still, the year’s young and Olympus should have more up its sleeve. Olympus; www.olympus.com; 800.347.4027