Olympus Evolt E-3 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with Mechanical Image Stabilization with ED 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Lens and FL-50R Flash

Olympus Evolt E-3 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with Mechanical Image Stabilization with ED 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Lens and FL-50R Flash Review

Before I start the review: I was initially in the market for the E-30, but a special deal on the internet through Dodd Camera allowed me to get the E-3 for only 0, I could NOT pass up that deal!

The Olympus E-3 is a fantastic product. When I was considering purchasing one, I had heard many complaints online in different forums whom had many members who admittedly have never used a 4/3 camera, just heard about them. Before using the E-3, I was (and still am) a user of the Olympus E-520 camera which gave me excellent results, but had some minor limitations that made me want to upgrade. First is the viewfinder. In the E-520, the viewfinder is NOT bad at all, like many would lead you to believe. I found that attaching the Olympus ME-1 eyecup to my E-520 helped, but I can see how this could pose a problem with people who wear glasses. The E-3 addresses this with the best viewfinder the 4/3 system has ever seen. Much larger & brighter, I find myself doing much manual focusing with it, whereas I did have a tendency to rely on the AF performance of the E-520.

The focusing speed of this camera is incredibly fast with SWD lenses, and very fast with my other High Grade lenses. It is important to note that low light situations have caused the camera to hunt at times. The AF assist of my Metz 58 flash helps to quickly bring the image into focus when I shoot at low light venues such as performances or night time portraits. In good lighting conditions, the focusing is almost instant, in lower light, it is fast, just not as fast as some users might think when they hear "World's Fastest AF".

Lastly, the noise performance. The camera produces great results up until about iso 800+. Images get noisy in the higher settings, BUT THIS IS NOTHING THAT CAN'T BE CLEANED UP IN POST PRODUCTION! Also, iso 3200 images retain a lot of detail and the DR performance is nice as well. When I want to clean up images, I usually use Nik Software's Dfine 2.0 and this has worked excellent in reducing noise but not smearing the details & making the image look smeared when viewed close up. This software with this camera are perfect for each other.

Who would I recommend this camera to?: Those who have film or digital slr experience, those who don't find noise at higher iso settings to be a major issue, those who want to use fantastic lenses, I could go on. There are many good reasons to pick this camera up if you are interested in the 4/3 system. IF you are new to shooting, some of the settings may confuse you. I had no problem adjusting to the camera ergonomics, but I had been studying the button layout months before purchasing. If you are just shooting jpeg, using high iso settings and don't plan on using any post production software, you may want to look elsewhere as the other manufacturers produce excellent cameras around this price range.

All that said, I believe this is the perfect camera for ME and I will be spending much time with it. I highly recommend you at least give it a try if you already own an E-System camera and are looking to upgrade. I haven't tested the weather sealing capability yet, but will be eventually when I decide to shoot in challenging conditions.

My images taken with this camera & the E-520 are available to view at www.flickr.com/photos/id510

Thank You

Olympus Evolt E-3 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with Mechanical Image Stabilization with ED 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Lens and FL-50R Flash Feature

• Experience the World's Fastest Auto Focus* with the Olympus exclusive 11-point biaxial auto focus system coupled with the new (SWD) Supersonic Wave Drive lenses. It provides exacting auto focus precision at exceptional speeds.
• Continuous shooting, up to five frames per second, means you can capture fast-moving moments in time and get amazing results. The UDMA CompactFlash compatibility enhances capture speeds for the ultimate in shooting performance.
• 1/8000-second high-speed, high-precision shutter enables you to freeze even the fastest subjects. Or, set shutter speeds as long as 60 seconds in Manual or Automatic settings.
• Effectively reduce blur with Olympus' exclusive Supersonic Wave Drive (SWD) in-body Image Stabilization System. Get up to a five-step EV stabilization effect with all Zuiko Digital Lenses, and all Four Thirds Format Lenses
• A newly developed high-performance 10.1-megapixel Live MOS Sensor provides the high resolution you need to accurately reproduce subject details with rich tones and natural colors as well as lower power consumption. Increased reading speed supports 5 fps continuous shooting

Olympus Evolt E-3 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with Mechanical Image Stabilization with ED 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Lens and FL-50R Flash Overview

E3 Body / 12-60mm Olympus Zoom Lens / Olympus FL-50R Electronic Flash / Imager shift image stabilizer / 2.5" LCD / CompactFlash Card Slot TruePic III digital image processing system produces superior image quality and shadow detail Focusing screen Changeable at a service center (Neo Lumi-Micro Mat screen supplied, possible to change to grid mat type) / Eyepiece shutter Built-in type Eyecup Interchangeable type EP-5/6/7, EP-7 is supplied (Magnifier Eyecup ME-1 is available) AF system TTL phase-difference detection system; Focus mode Single AF (S-AF) / Continuous AF (C-AF) / Manual Focus (MF) / S-AF + MF / C-AF + MF; Focusing 11 points full-twin cross AF sensor TTL open-aperture metering system - Digital ESP metering (49-point multi pattern metering); Center weighted average metering; Spot metering (approx. 2% for the viewfinder screen. Highlight / shadow bases are available) Shutter speed P(Ps), S, A, M mode - 60 - 1/8000 second / Bulb - 1/3, 1/2, or 1EV steps selectable Built-in Retractable flash, GN=13 (ISO 100.m) Flash control mode TTL Auto (TTL pre-flash mode), Auto, Manual, FP TTL Auto, FP Manual Body Dimensions 5.6 in. (W) x 4.58 in. (H) x 2.9 in. (D /(142.5 mm (W) x 116.5 mm (H) x 74.5 mm (D) (excluding protrusions); Weight 1.79 lbs./810 g (body only)

Olympus Evolt E-3 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with Mechanical Image Stabilization with ED 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Lens and FL-50R Flash Specifications

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 27, 2009 19:03:04

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