Olympus E-3 Digital Camera
(4 out of 5)
A solid, very well built midrange digital SLR, though its high ISO photo quality lags behind the competition.
Review date: Feb 12, 2008
The Olympus E-3, the flagship of Olympus' lineup, is an excellent camera which keeps up with the best midrange digital SLRs. The E-3 offers a very solid, all-weather body, sensor-shift image stabilization, dust reduction, full manual controls, live view on a rotating LCD, and all the expandability that you'd expect from a D-SLR. There are some downsides, including a clunky, confusing control system, sluggish low light focusing, so-so low light/ high ISO performance, and the tendency to underexpose. Now, I don't see Canon and Nikon owners selling all their gear and buying an E-3. But for those upgrading from an older FourThirds D-SLR, or just starting out, the E-3 is absolutely worth a look.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|
- Excellent photo quality in most situations
- Optical image stabilization for every lens you attach
- Superb build quality -- body is sealed against dust and moisture
- Supersonic Wave Filter "shakes" dust off sensor
- Live view on a flip-out, rotating 2.5" LCD display
- Large optical viewfinder with 100% coverage
-
Full manual controls (and then some)
- RAW image format supported
- Snappy performance in most areas
- Nice continuous shooting mode
- Impressive shadow adjustment technology (aka gradation) feature
- Three ways to control an external flash
- Redeye not a problem
- Optional battery grip
- Dual memory card slots -- CF slot supports ultra-fast UDMA cards
| - Camera tends to underexpose
- Low light / high ISO performance not as good as some of the competition
- Banding visible at highest sensitivities
- Too many buttons on camera body and poorly located front command dial
- Live view isn't as sharp or fluid as other midrange D-SLRs
- Sluggish low light focusing
- Camera control software costs $100 more, doesn't support live view
- Manual could be a lot more detailed
- Slow battery charger included
|
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