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The Olympus E3 - some general comments

jonoslack

Active member
Hi There
After a month with the Olympus E3, and in the light of the fact that lots of users have always thought of 4/3 as a good, but ultimately flawed concept. I think in the past they have always been 'almost' cameras, but the E3 really is different. There are a number of things that Olympus have going for them with 4/3 in general and with the E3 in particular.

First - toughness
For travel they are incredibly tough and almost completely waterproof (some fool even took some pictures underwater with the E1). All the mid range and upward lenses are water and dust sealed. I spent a week on a windy Greek island, and every evening the camera bag would have 1/4" of powder fine grit in it - putting the lens hoods on and off took the paint off the front of the lens, but I never had a graunchy zoom or focus ring, and I never had a dust spot on the shots. Rain is a complete non-issue - you don't even need to think about it, and I don't bother to take the camera off my shoulder.

Second - lenses
The 'top-range' lenses are rather expensive, and rather heavy (things like the 90-250 f2.8 - equivalent to 180-500 f2.8)

The real winners (IMHO) are the mid range lenses - they're relatively small, relatively light, and unlike any Nikon lenses I've used, you simply don't need to consider what aperture / focal length you're using. The zooms have minimal distortion, and you can shoot them wide open without any concern. the 50-200 for instance is half the size of the nikkor 70-200 and has an equivalent focal length of 100-400 f2.8-f3.5 (and it only gets to 3.5 at the very long end). The new 12-60 f2.8-f4 is such a contrast to the nikon 24-120 - you can shoot wide open at any focal length, it's faster, it's sharper from corner to corner and shows almost no vignetting.

Third - focusing
Nikon and Canon have the complex tracking autofocus end tied up. But the E3 on single point focusing is apparently twice as fast as Nikon. To all intents and purposes it's instantaneous, and with the new SWD lenses one hardly knows it's happened. It's also brutally accurate - something I've never found Nikon to be.

Colour
Evening light is a real case in point - I still feel that everything I've got out of Nikon looks like someone has been around the place with a yellow brush - The Olympus colour is fantastically good, and in evening light it simply imparts a gentle glow, rather than a crass yellow.

In Camera image stabilisation.
It's great - it really works, and it works with wide angle and mid range lenses - those focal lengths you use most, but which Nikon rarely covers with VR

Live View
I know the new Nikons have live view as well, but for me it's only really useful for:

1. low angle shots
2. on a tripod for macro etc.
In these cases, if you don't have a flip and twist LCD, then it's pretty much useless, but with it . . . it's wonderful.

Suffice to say, if someone suggested I could have my D2xs back, together with the 12-24, 17-55, 70-200 and 105 VR macro in exchange for my E3 plus 7-14, 12-60, 50-200 and 50mm macro I'd very rapidly tell them where to get off!
 
S

Sean_Reid

Guest
Hi Jono,

That was a really interesting post, thank you. I'm looking forward to testing the E3 and my wife is considering switching to either the D300 or E3 as her primarily professional body next year.

Cheers,

Sean
 

Irenaeus

Member
You make a good case, Jonoslack, for the E3 and Olympus lenses. What would you think about a used E1 as a way of moving toward the E3. One wouldn't get the sensor quality but could start buying a decent lense to begin with....(or are there downsides to the E1 that would make it better to wait?)

Thanks,

Irenaeus
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Most of what Jono said about the E-can be said about the E-1 as well, but there are obvious exceptions:

- It's only 5MP. That means more limitations with regards to large prints or cropping, but a correctly exposed image looks fine even at A3 size.

- AF is slower, and there are only three sensors, but it's very precise.

- The viewfinder is smaller, but still very good. Those who said that 4/3 viewfinders in general where like dark tunnels, probably never tried the E-1.

- There's no live-view.

- High ISO isn't nearly as good, but I regularly sell photos taken at ISO 800. With correct exposure, it's not a big problem.

- I've been told, but I haven't been able to verify this in a quiet room, that the E-3 is slightly noisier than the E-1.

Until recently, my plan has been to buy an E-3 and an E-510 as backup, but since I'm so happy with my E-1, I'll probably skip the E-510. The E-1 is so much more of a camera, and the ergonomics are much more similar to the E-3.

What I do consider, is to buy one of the PanaLeica lenses with OIS, to get image stabilization. They are rather expensive, and not weather sealed, but optically, they are first rate, particularly the 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5.

So is the E-1 an interesting way to start a 4/3 system? If you do photography for photography's sake, I would say yes. You'll soon forget that it's an "old" camera. If you regularly need larger files or the bulk of your photos are taken at high ISO, the E-510 is probably a better solution.
 

jonoslack

Active member
You make a good case, Jonoslack, for the E3 and Olympus lenses. What would you think about a used E1 as a way of moving toward the E3. One wouldn't get the sensor quality but could start buying a decent lense to begin with....(or are there downsides to the E1 that would make it better to wait?)

Thanks,

Irenaeus
HI Irenaeus
I'd think it was an excellent move - it's a lovely camera,quiet with excellent image quality. I've got lots of A2 sized prints that look splendid.
As you say, it's a good way to start - try and get the mid range lenses, they do seem to be worth the extra (even if it's just for the weather sealing).
 

dmpbyrdwatcher

New member
Irenaeus,

Depending upon your specific needs, you might also look at either the E410 or E510 for an inexpensive way to dip your toes into the 4/3 waters...

I have E1 and E410 --- and rarely use my E1 now... E1 has better viewfinder, more 'pro' layout of buttons and dials, and is an overall much better build of camera.... but E410 is faster and has better IQ - although it's a bit trickier to get the IQ (it is set up for 'consumer' tastes)....

Personally, I've become addicted to E410's tiny size - I'm waiting to see how much of the E3 improvements end up in this year's smaller cameras...

I use the mid range lenses that Jono mentioned on both E1 and E410 without any problems..... but if you do take a look at either E410 or E510, don't overlook the kit lenses -- they are so tiny and so cheap and are surprisingly good (but not as good as mid range lenses) - they are perfect travel and 'party' lenses (when you don't want people to get uptight)...

doreen
 

scott kirkpatrick

Well-known member
Personally, I've become addicted to E410's tiny size - I'm waiting to see how much of the E3 improvements end up in this year's smaller cameras...
Doreen, as a veteran tester of the E-1's weather resistant qualities, do you miss that on the 410? Has your dog learned to leave the camera bag alone?

scott
 

dmpbyrdwatcher

New member
Hi Scott,

I'll never live that little incident down, will I? or at least my dog won't!

(for those who are wondering, a few years ago my E1 and lens sat in a puddle of dog pee for several days unbeknownst to me - after I realized what had happened, I washed the camera and lens -- very thoroughly -- under running water for at least 20 minutes.... I also 'crash' tested my E1 several times --- tumbling down hillsides in thick mud, with the camera crashing all the way down the hills with me --- those incidents also caused me to wash the camera and lenses vigorously under running water to remove all the trapped mud.... so I can certainly attest to its amazing weathersealing and durable build....)

Seriously, though - I do very much miss the weathersealing on the E410.... the last few times I have used E1 have been entirely for reasons of inclement weather.... in fact, I took the E1 out for several hours recently when we were in the midst of a 9" downpour -- mostly just to see if the weathersealing would still hold up now - and it did very well (but I was totally drenched!)

I'm rather annoyed that the Pan-leica 4/3 lenses are not weathersealed - several times I've caught myself heading out the door with the 25mm f1.4 lens only to remember -- oh, yeah, I can't take this one out today...

I'm just not used to having to think about the weather....

doreen
 

jonoslack

Active member
HI Doreen
Lovely to see you here
that dog story cannot be told often enough! (is he/she still leaking on your camera gear?).
I agree with you - the perfect 4/3 camera is the size of the 410 with the IQ, IS and weathersealing of the E3. I live in hope!

With respect to the noise of the E3 - as Sean says, it's louder than the E1, but it's a delicious noise, and not at all distracting.
 

Irenaeus

Member
Thank you all for the quick and positive feedback on the E1 question. Your immediate response, Jorgen, was particularly appreciated as I was in the process of deciding whether to bid on one in auction or not. In the end, I decided to wait for the PMA to see what'll be on offer. (I'd like to see that 410/E3 combination, too, and would buy it in a heartbeat if it came out while I still had money in my pocket! "Hope springs eternal....")

If not, or until then, you've all confirmed that the E1 would be a likely starter — especially during the winter here in Montana!

Thanks again,

Irenaeus
 

Brian Mosley

New member
Hi Jono,

That was a really interesting post, thank you. I'm looking forward to testing the E3 and my wife is considering switching to either the D300 or E3 as her primarily professional body next year.

Cheers,

Sean
Hi Sean, I've been seriously thinking about subscribing to your review site... I am particularly looking forward to your review of the E-3. Do you have any idea of when you are likely to publish one?

Kind Regards

Brian
 
S

Sean_Reid

Guest
Hi Brian,

With any luck, I'll have a review sample in February and then we'll see from there.

Cheers,

Sean
 

jonoslack

Active member
Thanks Sean, I'll be subscribing in the next day or so... I really like your reviewing style.

Kind Regards

Brian
Hi Brian
you need to pay the dosh for Sean's site - he has a family of girls to support, and it's a tough life.
:angel:

It's really good to see you here - it's a grand site - neither grumpy nor sycophantic, and there are lots of interesting posts.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Jono,
Have you ever owned or tried the E-330? I need a budget solution with live view and articulated LCD for product shots (standing upside down to look through the viewfinder for a couple of days is no fun), and the E-3 is a bit much for my budget right now. I wonder if the very cheap E-330 could be a usable temporary solution.
 

Brian Mosley

New member
Thanks Jono, I actually like the idea of subscribing... I like to know who's paying for my review! lol

And yes, this looks like a high quality forum... hope I won't be bringing the neighbourhood down ;)

Jorgen, the E-330 is a lovely camera to use... and I would think perfect for a budget product shooting camera - where the live view will be great.

Kind Regards

Brian
 
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