Olympus E-10 4MP Digital Camera w/ 4x Optical Zoom
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(5.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First (5 out of 5)Worth Every Penny
Ok - Wow.
In digital photography, all you need is good photo-editing software (the E-10 comes with Adobe Photoshop LE) and a good printer - no eye-irritating chemicals and hours alone in the dark, like with film photography! Oh ya, and a good camera!
Using the E-10 is functioning on a whole different plane than anything I've used before (digitally, Kodak and Sony in the $800 - $900 range). The control is total. The product is eye-popping. What pictures! I'm producing 13x19 inch prints of amazing clarity. And although there is still quite a bit of effort involved - the comfort level and the amount of ultimate control over the product is astounding. And it all starts with the E-10.
To the hand, the fit and feel are unmistakably that of a 35mm SLR. Of course, there is no f-ring, and no gnarled knob dedicated to shutter speed control - too bad, I thought at first. But with some adjustment to thinking, there is an easy (actually, easier!), total control of these functions - and so much more. The zoom and focus rings are the smoothest I've ever used (and I have a couple of lenses for my 35mm that cost more than this camera).
I also have the 0.8x and the 1.45x lens attachments, for wide and telephoto (or 28mm and 200mm, respectively, in a 35mm format camera). Lens extenders exaggerate chromatic aberrations, flares and distortions - and they certainly reduce the speed of the lens fairly dramatically, among other things. Regarding the Camedia extenders, though there is a reduction in speed, it's absolutely negligible. And for image quality, I performed some tests photographing newspaper (a great test pattern, believe it, or not) and found nothing to complain about - quite the opposite. This is really good stuff. Not perfect, but very, very good. The quality of the lens on the camera, on the other hand, may as well be perfect. Similar, but more precise tests performed against this lens just made me smile. There are some flares and barreling under certain circumstances, but nothing - absolutely nothing to complain about. The contrast and brightness-uniformity (condensing) of the image are as good as you can get without spending a lot, like on some of Canon's Flourite lenses.
Overall, the experience is just great. The designers thought of everything. This E-10 is easier to use, and fits the hand better than any professional grade camera I've ever used.
Just a couple more notes: The optical viewfinder is bright. The shutter release is perfect for handheld, low shutter speed shots in that it requires only a very light touch (but there is good travel to prevent premature release). The CCD is noise-free at any contrast (some owners claim noise at higher contrast settings, but I haven't experienced this. Perhaps, Olympus had dealt with this by the time I purchased mine). The LCD monitor really comes in handy with its multi-position feature - in making waist level and over-head shots.
Olympus suggests that this camera will eliminate the need to ever return to film format cameras. I definitely agree. Digital photography really is a revolution. And this particular camera really is the beginning of the revolution as far as cost/quality combination is concerned.
This is a great camera.
(4 out of 5)Film is dead --- long live digital
I've had a Minolta SLR for the past 10 years and been very happy with it, but after buying the my "other half" a Canon Digital Elph, I found the ability to immediately review photographs compelling. So, I looked for a digital SLR.
Olympus has hit the price/performance sweet spot with this camera. Competitive digital SLRs cost 50% more than the E10 for the body alone -- i.e. before you've bought any lenses. However, I was concerned that the E-10 would be an adequate replacement for my film SLR. So, The E-10 passed with flying colors.
What's good about this camera: terrific image quality, great lens (f2.0-f2.6!), all the control you could want (white balance, focus, zoom, exposure, flash), support for compact flash and smart media, and ability to take up to 4 shots in rapid succession, easy upload of images to a PC, Adobe Photoshop LE included and good battery life on Olympus NiMH AA batteries.
I took scores of pictures every day and was generally pleased with the results. The camera functions well in program mode, but immediate image review on the camera enables you to use more control if you don't get the shot you need. And with digital, you can just keep on taking shots until you get it right without worrying about film.
The ability to take 4 shots in rapid succession is useful when trying to capture spontaneous events -- like the procession of flag throwers (a Tuscan tradition that goes back over 700 years) out for a practice early one Sunday in Siena. Other digital cameras have big problems with both "shutter lag" (time from pressing the button to capturing the image) and the interval between shots -- especially with a 4 megapixel CCD where images take longer to write to flash.
I made extensive use of a polarizing filter to cut glare under the Tuscan sun, and the images came out with strong colors as a result. The E10 seems a little "flatter" in its color balance than Canon cameras, but color saturation can be easily tweaked in Photoshop if this is a problem for any given image.
I never managed to run the Olympus AA NiMH batteries (purchased separately) flat during a day's shooting, so camera power consumption seems to be excellent -- short battery life is a killer for many digital cameras.
The lens is very impressive. It has a great zoom range, and as the camera was designed for digital from the ground up there are none of the multiplying effects of film cameras converted for digital use (e.g. Canon D30). This means that the E10 has great short-range capability as well as telephoto without having to switch lenses. This is very important if you want to travel light, as I did.
What's not-so-good: problems with IBM Microdrive, autofocus requires care to avoid misfocus errors, viewfinder image location leads to orientation errors, general operation could be a lot faster, and the optional Olypus case is poor.
The E10 requires the photographer to carefully monitor whether it has successfully locked on the subject. Early on, I got several poorly focused shots because the AF didn't focus on the subject. It's easy to miss this in the viewfinder or on the LCD image preview -- you only find out when you get home... However, once you learn to watch for mistaken AF lock, it is possible to re-focus and avoid this. Still, after Minolta's exemplary AF system, this was an unpleasant surprise.
I also used an IBM Microdrive with my E10, but discovered that it does not work properly. I would be able to take several photographs, and then the camera would suddenly complain of flash card errors. It's easy to miss candid shots when you're wondering why the camera isn't working, then realizing there's a flash error, switching to smart media... so the Microdrive went back. Get a 256MB flash card instead.
The viewfinder image is large and oddly focused -- it's easy to tilt the camera about a degree and not notice -- until you get to image review. This can be fixed in Photoshop, but it's annoying to have to fix it.
Finally, the Olympus feels slower than many point-n-shoot cameras, and this is likely down to the embedded processor used in the camera. It takes several seconds before an image can be previewed, and it is slow to move around in image preview mode. Also, it seems to take a long time to compress an image and store it to flash. The 4 image buffer dramatically reduces the impact of this, but not entirely -- especially when you want to take one photo and see how it came out straight away.
Finally, don't buy Olympus' case for the E10. It is very cumbersome and you'll end up wishing you never brought it. I left it at home or in the car most days. You cant open up the case and leave it hanging off the camera -- it gets in your way. That means you have to totally remove the camera from the case and either put it down, stuff it in a bag or squash it under your arm while you try to take photographs.
The net is that I can't see why I'd go back to a film SLR. Although the Olympus E10 has its quirks, and Microdrive incompatibility is a drawback, it is a very good digital camera at an excellent price point for the value you receive. Olympus really doesn't have any competition for the money.
(4 out of 5)My Experiences with the Olympus Camedia E-10
I'm sorry faithful fans of the Camedia E-10, but I must ruin the 5-star reputation of this particular digital camera. I hate to be such a party pooper, so I'll start with the good stuff, and thus, tell you all the good things that earned the 4 stars from me. First, on a superficial level, the physical design of the camera is magnificent. This camera is faithful to most SLR designs, and in my opinion, is currently the most stylish look out of all the cameras out there--including the Nikon D1. I particularly like the aluminum exterior. When it's a cold morning and your mind is completely rested, pulling that camera out of its leather case is where I receive a lot of my motivation in the morning--I don't drink coffee. To feel that cold, heavy weight in my hands makes me feel that I have a high quality, well-made camera. Second, the features are excellent, in that most of the major functions can be adjusted manually, opposed to looking through the LCD screen to set a specific function, as in most other digital cameras, like the Nikon Coolpix series, for example. My favorite feature is the manual zoom. Regular digital cameras like the Sony Cybershot F505V with automatic zoom are too sensitive. Hence, with a manual zoom, not only does it have that SLR feel, it gives the photographer much more control. Third, the E-10 has 4.1 megapixels, but honestly, there are only 3.7 that are actually used. But still, at least the images aren't interpolated. And I still love the detail in each image. Fourth, of course, the SLR feature is always a plus as far as accuracy goes in taking pictures. Always using the LCD screen to take pictures on my other non-SLR digital cameras always dissatisfies me for many obvious reasons. Fifth, the 4X zoom is pretty hot, in use with the awesome 3X telephoto lens that you can get on this sit... Using the telephoto lens, this will give you 12X, and that's great compared to the other less-expensive cameras. Slightly going off tangent, I must also say that Olympus has a good selection of accessories, although they're really hard to find all in one place and are usually on back order. The macro lens particularly impresses me. Sixth, the price is excellent. I would buy it, simply because this camera breaches into the professional category, opposed to the simpler point-and-shoot digital cameras. However, the Nikon Coolpix 990 is a good compromise, going beyond the simple point-and-shoot limitation. And lastly, I can't forget the lens. This is my favorite feature. This camera takes superb night pictures--the best I've ever seen. And in my opinion, from the reviews I've read on certain other digital cameras I haven't personally tried yet, I think that the night pictures on this camera are the best on the market. I took a picture in an extremely low-light situation. We're talking about midnight on a barely litted residential neighborhood. The camera produced pictures that looked as though it were dawn. Now for the bad stuff about this camera: First, there is some noise on the pictures--enough to get most people slightly annoyed. The worst pictures were ones taken inside my house under adequate incandescent lighting, without a flash. The pictures looked as though there were electronic bacteria on the painting on the wall. In other cases, such as outdoor pictures with good lighting, the noise lessens, but is still apparent, even at low ISO. But still, for adequate lighting, I think the camera should still perform well. But still, one must ask, what happens if someone wants to take pictures inside a dim museum? Indeed, this is the most flawed feature, in my opinion. Second, the color of the images has a good and bad side. The colors are too neutral, which makes the picture look bland. However, this is a good feature for the photographer that wants consistent-looking, real pictures. But in my opinion, the pictures look too real, almost mundane. There will be no good and bad surprises, when viewing these pictures, in my opinion. Third, the built-in lens also has its ups and downs. The good part is that you don't have to worry about dust and other blemishes getting on your lens. And trust me, that happens easily. The bad part is that, if you have a load of lenses that are dying to cross the film-bound SLR to the digital SLR camera, you're going to be disappointed and curse 'til your front tooth flies loose. This is absolutely a necessity to know for the more experienced photographer. And lastly, the fastest shutter speed is contemptible; it is 1/640th of a second. This can be somewhat fixed with a 62mm neutral-density filter, however. Without it, on a really bright day, the pictures come out overexposed--I don't know what Olympus was thinking here. And of course, taking motion pictures is another small problem worth noting. That's all folks! And remember, positive features are great to know, because we all want quality, but the negative features are what we NEED to know--they bring us back to reality and have us regret most of the junk we buy. Good luck in future purchases!
(5 out of 5)The good, bad but no ugly
I own several Nikon 35mms, a Kodak DC 260 and the E-10. Most of the time I carry the E-10 as my primary camera and use the DC260 for point and shoot.
I've seen some criticisms about the E-10s auto focus in low light. This condition exists in most digital cameras not just the E-10. The only real negative that I can complain about is the TTL view finder. It's just a little too close to the body. To protect the LCD I use a clear Palm Pilot screen overlay. This keeps grease and dirt off of the screen and provides a scratch resistant surface.
On the plus side, it feels just like my Nikon N80. The overall performance of the E-10 has exceeded all of my expectations. I've had the camera for 2 months and have already taken over 600 pictures. I love this camera. If you want the most bang for the buck in a digital camera and plan on taking a lot of pictures, then this is the camera to buy. I suggest that you keep a UV filter on the lense at all times. The only other filer that you might want is a circular polarizing filter. The camera will try to color balance pictures taken with any enhancing filters so save your money. The White Balance feature on the E-10 is great. I've had some pictures where the colors seem a little flat particulary on cloudy overcast days. By changeing the WB setting, I've been able to correct this condition most of the time. It just takes practice.
I use both CF and SmartMedia in this camera and have no problems at all. Having had previous expirence with IBM microdrives, I wouldn't recommend that they be used. First of all they are delicate and don't like to be bounced around, Secondly they are power hungry. I wouldn't expect battery life to be too good using a microdrive. Besides Olympus doesn't support the microdrive on the E-10. It is supported on the new E-20.
The only warning that I have for prospective internet buyers is if the price seems to be too good, it might be. Some sources are selling a European version of this camera that is not covered by the Olympus warrenty in the US. Check the Olympus web site for more info on this.
Anyone interested in a great digital camera should consider this one for sure.
(5 out of 5)Voting Anything Less Than Five Stars Is Just Plain Silly
I'm sorry, but it's true.
I've been shooting professionally with this rig for about 4 months now. I have the Nikon D1, but this camera is the first out of my bag. It gives so much.
One thing to consider is that this outstanding camera is currently in a class by itself. There just isn't another one like it.
Let me just comment on the "noise". There is some. This is also a bone that many have been chewing on ever since the E-10 came out. But, I read everything I can about this product. I participate on professional message boards. I have access to many pro-grade digital cameras, and I know a lot of people who use the E-10. The consensus - the noise is not a problem.
The 640th of a second top shutter speed is odd; I'll give you that. But I have had little reason to exceed this speed - even to my own surprise. The first argument is that you'll tend to over-expose in bright sunlight. Well, get a neutral density filter for 30 bucks - problem solved. The second, I can't use it in sports shoots. My answer to that is, well you shouldn't have purchased this camera for sports in the first place - Oly's E-100 is better suited for that. It takes 15 frame bursts, and has a whopper of a zoom on it, plus a progressive scan CCD that rings in at 1.5-megapixels. The E-10 uses the interlaced CCD at 4.1-megapixels. It's just a whole different animal. And, honestly, I've shot sporting events with mine, and there are no problems to report. You just have to make certain allowances.
All in all, you buy this camera, You Won't Regret It!
Five Big Fat Stars!