By Trevor Tan, TODAY Posted: 25 January 2008 1050 hrs
The release of Olympus E-3 (S$2,699 for body only) has ended a four-year wait for aficionados who have been craving for a successor to the professional-grade digital single lens reflex (DSLR) E-1. So, has the wait been worthwhile? When details of the 10.1-megapixel E-3 first surfaced, many fans were disappointed that the specifications did not compare well to those of competitors' flagship DSLRs. In fact, the E-3 is more a prosumer DSLR — the sandwich class between amateur and professional DSLRs.
Nonetheless, the E-3 is no pushover. Olympus claims that it has the world's fastest auto-focusing system. It also has 11-point sensoring with high-speed sequential shooting at five frames per second and boasts shutter speeds of up to 1/8,000 seconds. Though Olympus' claims can't be ascertained, the auto-focus performance of the E-3 has been exemplary in my tests. While other manufacturers seem obsessed with megapixels, Olympus has given photographers like me what we've long wanted — a dust and splash-proof camera.
Having endured torrential downpours during shoots, I can say the E-3 is pretty weather-resistant. The dust-reduction mechanism does its work upon startup and does it beautifully. Surprisingly, the mechanism does not slow down the startup, with the E-3 starting up and shutting down in a swift second. The tough and sturdy build of the magnesium-alloy body offers a good grip and button placement is intuitive, allowing users easy access to all functions. I particularly like the memory card compartment switch, which you turn to flip open the memory card slot door — a feature not found in other high-end DSLRs.
However, the menu interface requires a bit of tinkering, as some settings require one or two additional steps to access and change. One of the most exciting features of the E-3 is its ability to shoot via the 270-degree swivelling, 2.5-inch liquid crystal display with Live View.
While its competitor can't auto-focus when shooting in Live View mode, the E-3 does it comfortably, if a little slowly. It takes four seconds for an image to be saved after the shutter is clicked when shooting in this mode. There is no shutter lag when you shoot via the optical viewfinder. Image quality, with E-3's TruePic III image processor, is superb, with saturated colours and smooth skin tones. The dynamic range of the image is impressive, with highlights and shadows nicely contained.
Auto-white balance is accurate in outdoor conditions but tend towards the warm side (orange cast) in indoor conditions, such as under fluorescent lighting. Noise performance is good, with images up to ISO 800 having little noise. At ISO 1,600 and above, noise is visible but acceptable, as the noise is more film-like grain than watercolour pixelation. VERDICT The Olympus E-3 might be a prosumer DSLR but it has the capabilities of a professional DSLR. If you have lenses that are from other brands, it might be prudent to hold your horses. But for those with no such baggage, this is one attractive and capable DSLR to start with
