Compared to... (features & specifications)
The E-330 is a difficult camera to place, it's some $300 more than the similar Canon EOS 350D kit and $100 more than the ten megapixel Sony DSC-R1 which offers live view on its LCD and a better lens with a larger zoom range (although non-removable).
On paper the E-330 is obviously packed with features and offers advantages such as the Super Sonic Wave Filter, the tilting LCD (although the R1 has this) and slightly better continuous shooting. However its disadvantages are noteworthy, these include its higher price, the small and now darker viewfinder, USB 1.1 transfer speed, lack of a status LCD and slower startup time. This page is intended to provide a feature comparison, when making a decision it's always important to put more weight on the final result (the image quality), which we have already addressed and comparisons you will find on the following pages.
 Olympus E-330 EVOLT |
 Canon EOS 350D |
 Sony DSC-R1 |
|
| Announced | 26 Jan 06 | 17 Feb 05 | 8 Sep 05 |
| Price (w/lens) | $1,099 Kit (28 - 90 mm equiv. FOV F3.5 - F4.5 lens) |
$779 Kit (28.8 - 88 mm equiv. FOV F3.5 - F5.6 lens) |
$999 (24 - 120 mm equiv. FOV F2.8 - F4.8 lens) |
| Review | You are here | Click here | Click here |
| Body | Plastic | Plastic | Plastic |
| Sensor type | 7.4 megapixel NMOS | 8 megapixel CMOS | 10 megapixel CMOS |
| Sensor size | 17.3 x 13.0 mm | 22.2 x 14.8 mm | 21.5 x 14.4 mm |
| Dust protection | Supersonic Wave Filter | None | None |
| Lens mount | Four Thirds | Canon EF / EF-S | n/a (non-removable lens) |
| FOV crop | 2.0x (Four Thirds) | 1.6x | n/a |
| Shading comp. | Yes, optional | No | No |
| Modes | Auto, P, S, A, M, 5 preset scene (15 via menu) | Auto, P, A, S, M, A-DEP, 6 preset scene | Auto, P, S, A, M, 4 preset scene |
| Image formats | JPEG, TIFF, RAW | JPEG, RAW | JPEG, RAW |
| RAW+JPEG | One RAW, One JPEG | One RAW, One JPEG | One RAW, One JPEG |
| JPEG compression | User definable (HQ or SQ) | Fixed (2 levels) | Fixed (2 levels) |
| Image params | Sharpness (5 settings) Saturation (5 settings) Contrast (5 settings) Gradation (3 settings) 5 preset parameter sets |
Contrast (5 settings) Sharpness (5 settings) Saturation (5 settings) Color tone (5 settings) 3 preset parameter sets |
Auto Sharpness (3 settings) Tone / Contrast (4 settings) Saturation (3 settings) |
| RAW file size | ~ 13 MB | ~ 8.5 MB | ~ 20 MB |
| Color space | sRGB, Adobe RGB | sRGB, Adobe RGB | sRGB (2), Adobe RGB |
| ISO | 100 - 400 (1/3 EV steps) 500 - 1600 via boost |
100 - 1600 (1 EV steps) | 160 - 3200 (1 EV steps) |
| EV steps | 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV | 1/3 or 1/2 EV | 1/3 EV |
| Exp. compen. | +/- 5.0 EV | +/- 2.0 EV | +/- 2.0 EV |
| Flash exp compen. | +/- 2.0 EV | +/- 2.0 EV | +/- 2.0 EV |
| Metering | 49 area sensor | 35 area sensor | Unknown |
| Metering modes | ESP, CW Avg, Spot | 35 zone, Partial, CW Avg | Multi-pat, CW Avg, Spot |
| Shutter | 60 - 1/4000 sec | 30 - 1/4000 sec | 30 - 1/2000 sec |
| Flash X-sync | 1/180 sec | 1/200 sec | 1/2000 sec |
| AF system | 3-point TTL Phase Differential |
7-point TTL CMOS sensor |
5 area TTL CMOS sensor |
| AF mode | Single, Continuous | One shot, AI Servo, Auto | Auto, Single, Continuous |
| AF area mode | Auto, Single | Single, Dynamic | Auto, Center, Spot flex |
| AF assist | Flash strobe, must be up | Flash strobe, must be up | Orange lamp |
| Continuous *1 | JPEG: 3.1 fps, 8/∞ images RAW: 3.1 fps, 4 images |
JPEG: 2.9 fps, 27 images RAW: 2.9 fps, 6 images |
JPEG: 3.1 fps, 3 images RAW: n/a |
| Self-timer | 2 or 12 sec | 10 sec (3 sec with mirror lock-up) |
10 sec |
| Mirror lock-up | Yes, with custom delay | Yes, custom function | n/a |
| WB | Auto, 7 preset, Manual, Kelvin | Auto, 6 preset, Manual | Auto, 5 preset, Manual |
| WB fine tuning | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bracketing | AE, White Balance, Manual Focus | AE, White Balance | AE |
| Flash release | Electronic (manual / auto) | Electronic (manual / auto) | Electronic (manual / auto) |
| Flash sync | Front or Rear curtain, Manual control (4 levels) | Front or Rear curtain | Front or Rear curtain |
| Viewfinder | Optical Porro Finder Eyepoint: 16 mm Magnification: 0.9x 94% frame cover (-3.0 to +1.0 m-1 dioptre) |
Pentamirror Eyepoint: 21 mm Magnification: 0.8x 95% frame cover (-3.0 to +1.0 m-1 diopter) |
Electronic Viewfinder 0.44" TFT LCD 235,200 pixels 100% frame cover (Unspecified dioptre adj.) |
| Viewfinder view | Small, dark | Medium | Medium |
| LCD | 2.5", 215,250 pixels Flip-out and tilt up / down |
1.8", 115,000 pixels | 2.0", 134,000 pixels Flip-up and rotate |
| LCD live view | Yes, two modes A Mode: 92% frame cover B Mode: 100% frame cover * No AF in B Mode * 10x mag for MF in B Mode |
No | Yes 100% frame cover |
| Orientation sensor | Yes | Yes | No |
| Custom functions | n/a, 2 setup menus | 9 functions with 24 settings | n/a, 4 setup menus |
| Storage | CF
FAT16 / FAT32 xD-Picture Card |
CF FAT16 / FAT32 | CF FAT16 / FAT32 MS / MS Pro |
| Power | Lithium-Ion BLM-1 | Lithium-Ion NB-2LH | Lithium-Ion NP-FM50 |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 (USB 1.1 speed) | USB 2.0 (Hi-speed) | USB 2.0 (Hi-speed) |
| Play modes | 7 display modes | 3 display modes | 3 display modes |
| Play edit | RAW development | No | Resize (copy), Rotate |
| Rec. rev. delete | No | Yes | No |
| Text comment | No | Yes (set via PC software) | No |
| PictBridge | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions | 140 x 87 x 72 mm | 127 x 94 x 64 mm | 139 x 168 x 97 mm |
| Weight (w/lens) | 907 g (w/kit lens) | 724 g (w/kit lens) | 995 g |
| Remote release | Infrared (optional) | Wired (optional) Infrared (optional) |
Wired (optional) |
| Vertical grip | No | Yes, optional | No |
| Status LCD | No (uses LCD monitor) | Rear of camera, backlit | No (uses LCD/EVF) |
| Command dials | One top | One top | One top rear, One back |
| Power on | 1.5 - 1.7 sec | Virtually instant | 0.9 - 1.5 sec |
| Shutter release | Very fast | Fast | Very fast |
| Build quality | Very good | Good | Very good |
| Grip comfort | Good | Poor | Good |
| Supplied software | Average | Very Good | Average |
*1 Results of our own testing, with a fast card the E-500 can shoot JPEG until the card is full
