Here is a reviewer's conclusion I found about the D490 at
http/www.steves-digicams.com/d490z.html
Steve's Conclusion
Olympus continues to refine the "classic" D-400 series cameras and the D-490 Zoom carries on the tradition in excellent fashion. The 2.1 megapixel images are always sharp, well-focused and the colors are right on the mark. This is point-n-shoot perfected in a pocket-sized package. And now you can also capture 15 to 60-sec movie clips, they will be silent though because the D-490 lacks a microphone.
The camera fits the hand nicely, the controls are easy to get to and as minimal as possible. The menu system is easy to navigate and understand without spending a whole lot of time with the manual. The zoom mechanism is a little noisier than I like but it is smooth and positive. Autofocus is quick and accurate under most ordinary shooting conditions short of darkness but there are the "quick focus" presets of 8ft and infinity to fall back on if needed.
The shot to shot time in single drive mode is nearly instantaneous until the RAM buffer fills up but most average users will never take that many shots in succession. If you want the ultimate in image quality there is the uncompressed TIFF mode but be prepared to wait a good 30-40 seconds between shots. Battery life is excellent especially if you don't use the color LCD a lot. I'd say you could easily shoot all day and then some on just one set of fully charged NiMH batteries.
I have always liked the sliding lens barrier instead of a lens cap that gets lost. All of the Olympus D-400 series cameras closely resemble their film counterparts in both look and feel so it makes for an easy transition to the world of digital. The only negative is that it has no USB port. It's just not reasonable to expect the user to download high resolution images via a serial port. Other than that minor complaint the D-490 is a great camera for the beginner or experienced digicam user and delivers excellent pictures time and time again.