Olympus E-3

Opinion: Well it's been 3 years since the launch of this olympus flag ship dslr and as old as it sounds in digital era terms, it's still alive and kicking and I'm still happily shooting with it.

Love the viewfinder, ergonomics, super control panel, live view flip swivel screen, jpeg colors and engine, In-body stabilisation, ability to use a multitude of manual lenses via adapters, last but not least the access to very nice zuiko digital lenses.

Opinion: I had the camera for almost two years. Upgraded from the E-500 it gave me what I wanted from the start.

It is well built except for the LCD panel which is a very weak part. The shutter noise is a bit too harsh and loud indoors. The edges are not smooth, so holding the camera a full day is a bit painful. Image quality is excellent under certain ideal conditions but less than average in more difficult situations. The Auto WB is not reliable in every kind of light, can not manage modern low energy light, even if it is intensive. Manual WB reading is also not working reliably under those conditions. Overall, the Auto WB is quite poor in every light except sunny conditions outdoor. ISO up to ISO 800 is very good but over that the noise takes over more and more. The noise is very unreal, not film like at all, so handling it is difficult in critical images. Noise reduction works but removes too much detail which is why ISO 800 is the limit for the camera.

The Auto focus is not fast at all, in spite of what Olympus promised. It is also not very reliable and it is quite inaccurate.

Poor LCD resolution.

For all the listed problems below, the camera was sent in for service. After the service (took two weeks!) the camera was returned and no difference could be observed, except that the image sensor was cleaned. Olympus did not manage to do anything about the auto focus and the LCD.

Finally I sold the camera and the whole system and bought a Nikon D300s.

Opinion: I upgraded recently from Olympus E-500, it was my first digital camera and used it for 3 years before getting the E-3. I found the move extremely satisfying, the E-3 was what I was looking for after exploring the features of the E-500 fully. The E-3 build is superb, I used it in rain and snow without any problems. The image quality is very good, noise is better controlled than the E-500. I upgraded my lenses with the ZD 12-60 SWD and the ZD 50-200 SWD whose quality is unsurpassed so far. I recommend this camera to any serious photographer but not to a beginner because it has a high learning curve.

Opinion: I've bought E-3 in August last year and so far it has
proven to be flawless in reliability.
Tank-like construction allows me to get the shots I'd
never even think of taking with my previous camera.
So far I haven't found a weak spot on this camera.

Opinion: I ordered E3+12-60 +shld+metz 48af set up. The image quality is supreme and camera response is superfast. Now I am using Olympus master software to process raw and this set up just super.
After 2 months of use I added50mm+Olypus Studio software to this setup

Opinion: -Sharp image with nice colour reproduction
-Very effective image stabilizer, can handheld to shoot at 1/8
-Superb Zuiko optic (Sharp and no vignette at wide open for ZD 12-60SWD)
-Slash proof body
-Adjustable LCD screen with live view
-5 frame per second
-Dual memory card slots. You can put another 2 gb xD card and You can keep
shooting even the main CF card is full but you don’t have time to change the CF.
-Very fast Auto focus for SWD lens
-Good ISO performance from 100-400

Opinion: Great camera. After E10 and E1 a logical choice. I like the image quality and the speed of the autofocus which is way better than the E1. The white balance is also better. I very much like the feel and the strong construction. I enjoy using this camera a lot.

Opinion: I have now taken in excess of 25,000 photos with my E-3 in a 16 month period and can say that it is a very reliable workhorse. The colour is great, the noise cleans up very well between and 1200 an 1600 ISO, depending on the lighting conditions (below that the noise is not an issue). The camera has been accidentally dropped from a table which was one meter above the ground onto a concrete floor and it just kept on working. It has been used in gale force winds, downpours of rain and stifling heat, without missing a beat. I can honestly say that it is a huge step up from the E-1 in many ways and I look forward to the next step in the 'pro Olympus' body line. I shoot with the 7-14, 12-60 and 50-200 and can't see me changing from Olympus because the quality of the lenses is outstanding. What I lose in low light capabilities with the E-3 (compared to the larger sensors of the competition) I definately gain in reach, and that's the payback. I rarely shoot in low light so this is a good choice of camera for me.

Opinion: Drop Test! E-3 slid off roof of Infiniti G37 w/ 18-180 lens to concrete...slight black removal on edge of lens UV filter, but that was it--incredible! Lens cover popped off. E-3 has been working fine since it happened last month. Must have hit on rubber of eyepiece? Not sure, only heard it hit the road. My hands were too full carrying a large framed photo, so I set the camera on the freshly waxed roof, thinking it would stay. I need to put some soft, sticky rubber feet on base of camera? Or just take more time and pay attention. Darn Alzheimers.

18-180 lens has been great for all sorts of shooting. added 70-300 for more zoom for birds, etc. Will probably get a macro zoom at some point. Also, have the FL-50 flash unit to get some light on more distant objects.

Love the articulating screen (learned this from the Canon A620) and Live view for difficult shots, as I would otherwise rarely be able to take the time to set up. As others have mentioned, Jpeg is good enough to avoid getting into Raw processing, so that makes it easy to get started for a novice like myself.