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There's a lot to like about the Olympus
E-3.
Sure, it's heavy at over three pounds with a lens, but its ease of use
and thoughtful array of features make the 10.1 megapixel bytecam a likeable
luggable.
The controls on the unit--which has a body-only price of $1500 and a
kit price in the $2000 range--are intuitively placed and easy to reach.
However, a few functions that require holding down a button while turning
a dial can be cumbersome to use.
The 4/3-sensor-based camera has some appealing design, touches, too.
There's no mode dial on the unit--the large dial found on some cameras
that allow you to choose various functions by twisting it--but the DSC
does have a marvelous interactive "Super Control Panel." It
can be displayed on the E-3's LCD by poking a button and provides a swift
way to alter the important settings for a shot on the fly.
Another genial aspect of the snapper is its 2.5-inch LCD which can pivot
away from the camera's body and rotate through 270 degrees. Because the
camera has a "live view," which allows you to snap pics without
looking through the DSC's optical viewfinder, the pivot feature facilitates
capturing images at awkward angles--extreme low angles, for instance,
or extreme high ones.
The unit's Live View feature is also a pleasure to use. You can activate
it with a single button press. What's more, unlike some cameras with this
feature, Live View uses the E-3's auto focus system when taking shots.
In addition, the unit has a built-in eyepiece shutter that can be used
to prevent light from entering the camera through the viewfinder and scotching
the exposure for a shot. That's valuable when using Live View or self-timer
mode.
Images captured with the camera were very good. Its exposure system did
a good job of obtaining proper exposures in all kinds of lighting conditions,
and its autofocusing system locks onto a subject very quickly.
If you're the kind of lens jockey who loves bracketing shots, the E-3
will warm your heart. Not only will it do auto exposure bracketing, but
it will do flash and ISO bracketing, too.
As with all Olympus cameras,
the company's robust Master 2 software for managing and editing images
is included with the camera. In addition, there's a trial version of Olympus's
professional program for organizing workflow, Olympus Studio.
Photographers shopping for a less-than-full-frame muscle camera will
find the affable Olympus E-3 a worthy contender for their attentions.
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Introduction
