digitalrebelman
Active member
I don't really understand people who rate cameras without actually handling them - or testing them. Anyways, I've had a sneak preview of the new E510 and I'll note any positives" of the new camera as well as any problem areas...
First off the E510 camera is much more responsive in low light condition unlike earlier Olympus E models, faster focusing and noise has been reduced at higher ISO and in low light conditions.
The liveMOS system has been fully intergrated into this model and allows the user to aim the camera like a point and shoot... same as the E330 camera. Some people love this feature and other simply hate the idea as it breaks with photographic tradition...if you don't like the LiveMOS viewing then you can turn it off by touching a button. The view finder in this camera is very comfortable to look through and digital information appear inside - fstop, focal length and lighting conditions. Very smooth. The body is made from plastic but it fits very nicely in your hand. This Olympus camera reminds me of the Canon Rebel XT but it is a thicker camera than that.
Performance: While some people condemn Olympus for noise problems, I have to say that noise in this particular model is quite low across the board. Far, far better than any Olympus camera to date, hands down. Now you might wonder how this camera compair to other entry dSLRs. Well lucky thing, I did a test. Here is my take on things. At 100 ISO I put the E510 beside the Nikon D80 and the Canon Rebel XTi - no noise filter. The preset colors on the E510 were off a bit so I adjusted and tried again. The E510 had less color noise than Nikon and Canon - shadow noise was very low and less obvious than either the Canon XTi or Nikon D80. So I pushed the next test - 1600 ISO - I found far less noise than expected...obviously Olympus has improved significantly here. Canon XTi and the Nikon D80 showed a marked increase in the noise factor --- in fact, I'd say the color noise was 10% worse in the Nikon/Canon models than what I saw with the E510. Shadow noise was on par with the E510 - again this is without the noise reduction filter engaged.
So like I said before - this is a great leap forward for Olympus. Go buy one, you won't regret it - promise! This is a fine camera for keen photographers.
Color accuracy: You need to adjust this camera before you simply shoot with it. Colors can be off significantly...so take some test shots first and adjust the white balance and color sets... and all should be fine. Its one of those factory setting things - not a big deal! Using an 18-180mm lens I found the performance pretty decent - and it is a slow lens.
Once adjusted correctly to lighting condition this camera is simply a gem to use. No camera is perfect...
First off the E510 camera is much more responsive in low light condition unlike earlier Olympus E models, faster focusing and noise has been reduced at higher ISO and in low light conditions.
The liveMOS system has been fully intergrated into this model and allows the user to aim the camera like a point and shoot... same as the E330 camera. Some people love this feature and other simply hate the idea as it breaks with photographic tradition...if you don't like the LiveMOS viewing then you can turn it off by touching a button. The view finder in this camera is very comfortable to look through and digital information appear inside - fstop, focal length and lighting conditions. Very smooth. The body is made from plastic but it fits very nicely in your hand. This Olympus camera reminds me of the Canon Rebel XT but it is a thicker camera than that.
Performance: While some people condemn Olympus for noise problems, I have to say that noise in this particular model is quite low across the board. Far, far better than any Olympus camera to date, hands down. Now you might wonder how this camera compair to other entry dSLRs. Well lucky thing, I did a test. Here is my take on things. At 100 ISO I put the E510 beside the Nikon D80 and the Canon Rebel XTi - no noise filter. The preset colors on the E510 were off a bit so I adjusted and tried again. The E510 had less color noise than Nikon and Canon - shadow noise was very low and less obvious than either the Canon XTi or Nikon D80. So I pushed the next test - 1600 ISO - I found far less noise than expected...obviously Olympus has improved significantly here. Canon XTi and the Nikon D80 showed a marked increase in the noise factor --- in fact, I'd say the color noise was 10% worse in the Nikon/Canon models than what I saw with the E510. Shadow noise was on par with the E510 - again this is without the noise reduction filter engaged.
So like I said before - this is a great leap forward for Olympus. Go buy one, you won't regret it - promise! This is a fine camera for keen photographers.
Color accuracy: You need to adjust this camera before you simply shoot with it. Colors can be off significantly...so take some test shots first and adjust the white balance and color sets... and all should be fine. Its one of those factory setting things - not a big deal! Using an 18-180mm lens I found the performance pretty decent - and it is a slow lens.
Once adjusted correctly to lighting condition this camera is simply a gem to use. No camera is perfect...
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
--- sorry I did get carried away. Your right. But its all the hype of this camera firing at my neurons - its insane.
