 It'll grow on you |
| Review Date: June 29, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Ronald K. Goodenow, Northboro, MA USA |
This is the latest in my journey through Olympus Digital Cameras
(D340R, 460,560,2020z, 5060 -- some of which I have reviewed on Amazon). The choice of the E-300, used for some commerical work I do, was not so easy because I have a bag full of Pentax K lenses and was mightily tempted by the Pentax digitals. But, having batteries, familiarity with the menu system, and really very good experience with Olympus products and service over the years, I took the plunge and got the E-300 and its kit lens. Then got a K mount adapter for my Pentax lenses and set to work.
Ok, there are some quirks and I will get them out of the way:
- a slight magenta cast to some greens, easily fixed in post-processing or fiddling with WB, and the noise reduction system can just slightly dull grass in photos, also easily fixed
- now and then a bright spot will fool exposure slightly when using the full screen sensor (I've learned to use the center-weighted and spot meters to take care of this)
- I am not overly impressed by the lcd, which doesn't seem to have the brilliance of the one on my 5060.
- I wish Oly had added an xD slot for those of us with a collection of these cards, purchased for use with older models
Now to some good stuff:
- don't worry about some reviews claiming the camera is noisey and doesn't like 800/1600 ISO. I get fine results, which are easily fine tuned in Photoshop Elements, Neat Image or other programs, and which can be helped mightily by using a wide aperture prime lens at 400.
- colors are brilliant and resolution sharp
- the Oly jpg algorithms are very good, meaning that for most 'normal' shooting one can be perfectly happy using the best HQ mode -- lots of testing on my part discerns very little visible difference with SHQ. This is good to know when traveling or when you want to keep some disc space; triage carefully when you see that once in a lifetime shot coming and then use the highest modes
- Raw is very good but by all means avoid the Olympus Master converter, which is terribly unintuitive, in favor of Adobe's.
- battery life is excellent with the BLM1 battery (and yes, you can get good backups on that auction site for less than ten dollars each; and they work just fine); I've only run one battery down all the way and that was with multiple in camera editing and a download of 150 shots via USB.
- flash is fine (though watch lens hood shadowing at highest aperture); I've supplemented with the FL-36 and FL-20, both of which work flawlessly, even for the brain dead like me. Like many cameras this one will occasionally underexpose so I generally program the flash for a little extra oomph.
- the camera feels rugged and well made; a little tank that feels good in one's hand and thanks to lack of prism on top slides easily into a small bag.
- the kit lens is really quite fine
- K lenses, including a Tokina ATX telephoto zoom work easily and brilliantly, as does an OM lens with adapter.
-even for the 'advanced' among us, it is good to have the range of scene modes on this camera. They work.
-vastly improved instruction manual.
-burns very quickly, even to standard CF cards.
-finally, this thing really keeps dust off the sensor. I'm constantly fiddling between lenses in very different environmental situations and have yet to see a spec. Yes, some appear on the outer mirror, but that is easily and harmlessly cured.
Olympus does not have the cache or marketing power of Nikon and Canon. And the sensor on this 4/3d's camera is smaller than those on its main competitors. Yet, I find it to be a solid and
unflashly product in line with most Oly cameras I have owned. This company is good at miniaturization, glass, and compression algorithms. If you need it Oly service is excellent (quick and friendly as I found out when I screwed up something in my 5060, also a superb camera).
I'm sure that there are fine photos to be had with any of the major dslr's on the market and not having a lot of comparative experience with other brands probably don't know what I am missing. But if you want an elegant workhorse with high resolution and brilliant photos give this one a careful look. |
Simply Amazing SLR
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| Review Date: May 26, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Sinister Minister, |
Hey guess who!? The sinister minister with yet another Digicam review!Well the E300 brings my camera count up to 5 and it may very well decrease it. I have by nature been very weary of the digital SLR's even though I sell tons of them every week, I have used the Canon XT and 20D, and the Nikon D70, consistantly. I have demonstrated them untill I can set one up in my sleep, and as fast and advanced as they may seem I just couldn't get past thier hefty price tags.But then here comes the E300, the first thing you notice about this camera is it looks like no other SLR on the market, it almost like a stealth camera! Size wise it compares pretty evenly with its counterparts, however it is somewhat lighter. Unlike the Rebel XT however this camera is built like a tank, with a good solid hand grip, and a textured metal body. That aside the main thing that attracted me to this camera was the fact that it uses Digital Zuiko lenses, each lens has its own processor! How cool is that! Not to mention the benefits you get when reading light or getting in focus. And to top that off they are sanely priced!! Now the most important feature of any camera my friends is what you buy it for, and that is pictures! The E-300 takes amazing pictures! It takes them fast, clear, and in just about any light situation you can think of. Oh and by the way? thats before you even start to mess around with the settings! Lets talk about a few: ISO: Neat feature the E300 has is a thing called "ISO Boost" you can switch the 2 highest ISO settings on or off (800 & 1600)! Noise in this department was pretty darn good until you shoot at 1600 then it gets a bit spooky, there aren't many cameras that don't (believe me) even the 20D you fantasize about takes a crappy shot with the ISO cranked up! Shutter speeds are about even with most other SLRs, and it even has an 8 minute "Bulb" mode (Hooray) but you have to hold the shutter button down (BOO).Menues: This camera has the coolest, and easiest to use damn menu system I have ever seen! I love it I was running thru things like I had owned the camera for years after just a few minutes, Nothing like the Canons (some things on those I still can't find!!) 8MP: my favorite resolution! I own 4 8MP cameras and I love every one of them! I well tell you now what I tell all my customers at Bestbuy anything over 8MP is a waste of money and time, I think even 8MP is more than most people need.5MP is average 6 is just stupid, 7MP is a good point and shoot. But SLRs need to be at least 8MP (hello Nikon?) The lens ranges work so well with that resolution anything less is really an injustice (I think).Scene Modes: Yes the E-300 has a ton of them (see spec's above) including the "Sunset Mode" (I love Nikon's)This is almost as good although a little too red at times. I haven't had the camera long so I haven't had the chance to run thru them all, but the ones I have used have all been right on the money. Speed: well okay this one has to go to the 20D, speed wise the E-300 is about par, but it's not gonna win any races about 4 frames at 2.5 sec for as long as the shutter is pressed.White balance features are excellent in this camera ranging from auto to 3000k all the way up to 7500k in addition to 4 spaces for custom settings (nice job Olympus).Full AF or manual focus modes as well as several combinations of the two! Flash: the E-300 probably has the best on board flash of any camera I have ever used, and without a doubt the most versitile as far as being able to control intensity, speed, etc. I actually like using it (Normally I hate flash photography). Huge selection of Image formats: this camera will save your pictures in at least 20 different files types and resolutions, not to mention you can completely edit Raw image files directly within the camera! Exsposure, contrast, sharpness the whole deal right on board. Battery life is excellent being as good as my F-828 at 230-220 minutes.Micro-drive capable, and I absolutely love the Zuiko lenses.I have to admit I never thought I would own an Olympus let alone one of thier SLRs, Olympus has a tendency to cut on quality when it comes to thier lower end models the people that own em love em. However I have always heard that Olympus high end cameras are among the best. After using the E-300 I would agree WOW!.This camera has so many other benifits and features that I can't go into here, so check your online review sources and make up your own mind. As I said I am a professional photographer and I sell cameras and aside from some bells and whistles, speed you'll never use, the E-300 is everybit as good a digital SLR camera as its Canon and Nikon counterparts (more so in some ways)The biggest being price!
I added another lens to mine and a Microdrive (4gb) and a Canon would have still cost me more, and I'd still be lost in those menus!Want my advice? Put the E-300 on your short list and decide based on picture and price, not speed. Weather its film or digital, photography has always been about the pictures, SLR's by nature take amazing photographs, is it really worth it to have to take on a second job just to pay for it!? I hope this helps somewhat, after I have used the camera a while I may offer an update, until then Happy shooting! |
Excellent value for money
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| Review Date: December 8, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Thomas J. Haslam, Philadelphia, PA USA |
Before buying the Evolt 300, I read numerous reviews on it and D-SLR cameras from Nikon, Canon, Sigma and Fujifilm with similar features.
Bottom line consensus: The Evolt 300 is a technically sound and accomplished D-SLR which delivers quality photographs comparable to the Nikon D70 and superior to the Canon Digital Rebel XT.
So far, so good.
I then visited various dealers--from dedicated photoshops to Best Buy and Circut City--so that I could see and handle each of the cameras in my price / feature range: ~$800 to ~$1400, 6+ megapixels, decent selection of lenses. (I purchased the camera @ Adorama Camera via Amazon).
Unlike the similarly priced Nikon D50 and the Canon XT, the Evolt 300 does not feel or handle like a cheap plastic toy. Score 1. if I'm spending a considerable amount of money on a D-SLR, I want a certain degree of ruggedness. This is a well-made camera.
I narrowed my choices down to the Nikon D70, the Evolt 300 and the Canon EOS 20D. If money were no object, I'd say buy the Canon EOS 20D.
Likewise, the Nikon D70 makes good sense if you have compatible Nikon lenses. But otherwise it simply doesn't outperform the Evolt 300 to justify the cost difference.
I went with the Evolt 300 with the dual Zuiko lenses. (The package listed above). Even with the FL-36 Flash and extra battery, I still kept the entire package price under $1000.
I've been using the camera consistently for the past two months since relocating to Senegal. No problems.
If I can take the word of others, the photos --not in terms of art but image quality-- are outstanding.
I generally shot in RAW and can go through 4+ gigs before worrying about the battery. To date, I've used most of the programmable features--including autobracketing for exposure and white balance. All work as advertised. Likewise, the different scence modes also very good. (One exception noted below).
Three compliants, the last minor.
1. Although this camera does allow both manual focus and auto focus with manual fine-tuning, the Zuiko lenses simply don't respond well to manual focus. For certain macro shots (those with tricky backgrounds), you have play around a good bit just to get the subject in focus. Dialing to manual and handtuning -- which should solve the problem-- almost a waste of time.
2. Olympus has it's own version of RAW-- .orf. ORF requires a plugin for Photoshop 7 and lower (I don't know about Photoshp CS). Although RAW offers great editing options, the ORF version is a pain to work with, loads much slower, and can't be previewed except by using Olympus Master software. Given the amount of photos I shot, ORF has added hours of processing time over what the standard RAW files would. This I'm less than thrilled with.
3. You'll either love or hate the sunset mode. I really don't care for the way it turns the horizon Martian orange. I want the deep blues, reds and purples that I see -- and not bad postcard melodrama. When I now shoot sunsets or oceanscapes at dusk, I do so NOT using the sunset mode.
Bottom line:
No regrets whatsoever about this purchase. I am very happy with my Evolt 300 which has already seen a great deal of use under less than ideal conditions. The camera is technically solid, easy-to-use, and comes with many strong basic and advanced features. Just excellent value for price. So far, great fun too.
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Capt D
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| Review Date: June 4, 2005 |
| Reviewer: D. M. LaPorte, Guam (at this time) |
Well, where does one start? Ok, I am for the record not a professional. I have been shooting photos for some 45 years however. I have in the past had a Kodak Retina ( still do with every attachment ever made for the camera in mint condition), a Nikon F1, Cannon AE1, Olympus OM1. I always enjoyed existing light and time exposures, and have even won some small awards and have been published in the past ( nothing really all that noteworthy). When I shot tons of 35 mm film I enjoyed special effects using various filters, slow shutter for motion ( pan motorcycles, race cars, action sport sceens etc). A few years ago I stopped shooting 35mm as my first choice and entered the digital age. Mainly for the simplicity. I bought a hot ( for the time ) Nikon 990. Problem was, battery life and while the photos were ok it was just a point and shoot camera, all creativity was gone.
Now comes the Olympus Evotl E-300! I looked at the Cannon 20D, and the Nikon D70, and even the Sony DSC F828, (I did not like looking through a small TV screen on the F828). The Olympus won me over with some neat features on the E-300 that I really liked. First the size, and feel. It is compact while at the same time has the look and feel of a "real" camera. It's so easy to use that I bought it one day, and that night went down town to see what it would do in my old love that I had missed - existing light. Wow, is all I can say. I got shots I would have had problems with a high grade 35 mm. I used the "scenes" function and found it to be right on the money with each shot. Before sunset I got a chance to use the "portrait" scene function and got fantastic results. The back ground was in fact slightly out of focus just as I would have wanted by using the depth of field on my old 35 mm cameras. I switched the camera to fully manual and took a number of night shots, all came out fine. I found that I could hold the camera for some very long exposires by hand ( 1 sec or more). I think this may be due to the fit and feel of the camera. She just fits in your hand and holding steady is not a problem. Also all the controls are right there and easy to figure out. Please note that I bought the camera, and that night was using the darn thing in near total darkness. I did not have time to read and study the manual. It's simply that easy to use. The format of the information is simple and well placed on the camera for easy use.
The second day ( I still have not charged the battery) I took a trip around Guam. (Here for business.) There are some really gorgeous scenes on Guam if you know where to look. Beach scenes, palm trees, large green rolling hills and a multitude of other neat items like old WWII relics in the jungle came out crisp and clear. I use the B/W function and at the same time upped the saturation and contrast for some very interesting back lit dramatic subjects. I left the contrast and saturation on high for some very blue skies and some very white clouds., the prints came out looking like post cards! The shore line shots came out well with this combination as well. Then at sunset I had to try the "sunset" function. I got some very amazing sunset shots with palm trees shadowed in the foreground. I only wish Olympus would have also put a "sunrise" option on the camera, as I think it would also do well there. ( ok, guys... I'm kidding. And little humor here).
I've been running each program on the camera, using the A, S, and Program settings. I've stopped down and up for highlight and back lit subjects, used the close up function, action shot function, etc. In the old days we may shoot some 36-50 shots and have 4-5 that came out the way we wanted. In using my E-300 I have just put some 55 shots on a CD and I'd estimate at least 75% -80% of them are even better than anticipated. I'm sure this is due to the fact that during the day one can simply delete and shoot again for a better photo. I should also mention that I am shooting on a lower than highest quality due to my need to email the photos. Even with the lower setting of some 3.6 - 4.3 megs the photos are sharp, clear and detailed of likes I have never seen from a digital camera.
I've printed some of the photos out on photo paper at 8x10 inches and posted them on my office wall. More than one person has commented on the great photos... they really look great, such detail and again I am not even on the highest setting!
In short I am more than impressed with the camera. I would not dream of sending it back. She is a very high quality camera, and in the 48 hrs of its use I have come to love it! It's simply in a word........fantastic!
Some concerns ( compaints is simply to harsh a word for this camera).
I'd like to see all DSLR makers give you at least one small recording card with the camera for taking photos. For near $1000.00 we can't even be able to save one photo? Come on.
I do not like that fact that there is no way to take a time exposure with some sort of cable or electrical control. I suppose the remote takes care of this? Don't know, but I intend to get the remote and see if in fact the camera can take time exposures on a tripod for times of 2-4-8 etc seconds.
While the other cameras I looked at are also high quality cameras, and I'm sure they all take great photos. I cannot recommend the E-300 enough. It is one of the few times in life I have parted with a moderate sum $1000.00 ( +/-) and after the fact pleased by the transaction. Not unlike a fine car, or a very expensive dinner out on the town... as long as the quality is there you don't mind parting with the green at the end of the day. My purchase of this camera is a high point in my love of photo taking. Buy one, and I doubt you will be disappointed!
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Best bang for the buck, by far
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| Review Date: May 19, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Ira Solomon, Lowell, MA USA |
When I decided to go fully digital I read every review I could find. Not having $6-7000 to spend I kept it under $2500.
This is the best camera out there in this price range. It is sharper than any of the others. There are minor complaints about color acuracy, but that is a lot easier to fix than lack of sharpness.
Very powerful flash. Amazing for its size.
Nice weight and balance.
If you want a DSLR this is really the best you can get for under
$1000 and that is with 2 lenses. |
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