Olympus E-300

Reviewed April 2005

Introduction

Compared to the Olympus E-1, the first Four Thirds camera produced by Olympus, the E-300 is more compact, and offers a new 8-megapixel CCD. But, just like the E1, the E-300 is able to receive any Four Thirds compatible lens, and is sold as a kit with an Olympus Zuiko zoom 14 to 45 mm f3.5-5.6.

The Mode Dial dominates all the top mounted controls. The Mode Dial sits atop the Power lever which is itself protected against accidental activation by the shape of the camera body.

The Command Dial, positioned directly behind the mode dial, serves to control and change camera settings (see further) and also to magnify an image being displayed on the monitor in Playback (up to 10X) or to display thumbnails,, (4,9 or 16 per screen).

The Mode Dial provides 10 positions, each a capture mode, that are divided into 2 groups by the blue-coloured P of the Program mode. Starting from there and going up, the dial provides:

	Aperture Priority provides control over the aperture and therefore over the depth of field while the camera selects a matching shutter speed.
	Shutter Priority provides control over the shutter speed while the camera matches it to an aperture.
	Manual gives the user complete control over the E-300, making it possible to select the aperture and shutter speed using the Command Dial, switching from one to the other by pressing the Exposure Compensation button (see further).

On the opposite side of the Program mode, the E-300 provides Scene modes, of which 5 have their own position:

	Portrait mode uses a large aperture to obtain a well-focused subject and an out-of-focus background. Sensitivity and white balance are set to Auto, and the image sharpness is slightly softened.
	Landscape is intended to capture scenery and accentuates blues and greens slightly. The mode's default settings are to set the sensitivity to Auto, the white balance to Sun, and accentuate both sharpness and contrast.
	Macro allows the focus to be manually fine-tuned while still letting the autofocus operate. Sensitivity and white balance are both set to Auto by default, but can be user-adjusted.
	Sport gives priority to the shutter speed so as to freeze action. By default the camera selects the sequential shooting mode and sets the auto focus to continuous, while setting the sensitivity and white balance to Auto.
	Night Scene allows the camera to capture exposures that are up to 1 second long. The default settings for the mode use Auto ISO, Sun white balance, and soften both sharpness and contrast.

The last Mode Dial position is simply labelled Scene and provides access to additional Scene modes, and also repeats the 5 modes listed above but with one critical difference: when selected here, none of the pre-selected settings of each mode can be user-modified.

Each scene program automatically displays an image that typifies the mode, and adds a short explanation that describes it:

	Landscape + Portrait emphasizes an aperture that allows for both the subject in the foreground and the background to be sharp. The sensitivity is set to Auto and the white balance is set to Sun.
	Night + Portrait combines a relatively slow shutter speed and the flash in slow synch mode to capture both foreground and background at night. A tripod is recommended and contrast and sharpness are slightly softened.
	Sunset accentuates red and yellow tones while forcing the flash off. The mode automatically applies an exposure compensation of -0.7 EV, sets sensitivity to Auto, and sets the white balance to overcast.

	Documents increases contrast and adds 0.7 EV to help reproduce black text on a white background.
	Museum cuts off all sounds produced by the E-300, and forces the flash off. Sensitivity and white balance are set to Auto, and images are recorded using the SQ format.
	High Key mode is designed for studio portraits, providing for a well-lit subject while the background is darker. The brightness of the subject is accentuated which minimizes skin imperfections and the sensitivity and white balance are set to Auto.
	Beach and Snow takes the highly reflective nature of that type of subject into account and provides an exposure compensation of +0.3 EV. Sensitivity is set to Auto, white balance is set to overcast, and the auto focus mode is set to continuous.

The TTL viewfinder of the E-300 is equipped with diopter correction and a rubber eyepiece. The eyepiece is removable, and a eyepiece cap is included in the camera kit to close it off so that light will not leak in to the CCD during long exposures. The viewfinder shows 94% of the area being photographed, and provides a rather complete list of camera settings to the right of the image:

• AF frame and metering area,
• 3 AF areas,
• Aperture,
• Shutter speed,
• Focus indicator,
• Flash indicator,
• White balance setting,
• AEL (Auto Exposure Lock),
• Frame counter,
• Exposure compensation (if any),
• Metering mode,
• Battery state, and
• Exposure Mode (P, Ps, A, S, M only).

All the other external controls of the E-300 are arranged on either side of the 1.8 inch, 134,000 pixel high contrast LCD monitor.

A group of five buttons on the left of the screen controls:

Flash modes: a single press of the button displays the current flash mode on on the LCD screen while holding it pressed in and rotating the Command Dial allows changing mode: Auto, Auto with Red-eye Reduction, Slow Synch with Red-eye Reduction, Slow Synch, Second Curtain Slow Synch, Forced On and Forced Off. And in the Playback mode the button serves to rotate an image displayed on the screen in 90° increments.

The other group of controls, on the other side of the screen, starts with the button that releases the E-300's pop-up flash. Below, the button serves to start the camera into the Playback mode, while further down the MENU button calls up the menu which serves all modes. (See the Characteristics section of the review for detailed information on the E-300's menu.)

Two other controls are located immediately below the Command Dial, placed so that they are easily reached with the thumb:

	Auto Exposure Lock serves to preserve a metered reading while re-composing the image, without having to maintain the shutter release pressed halfway.
	The Frame Selection (AF) button is to choose the focus point. By default the auto focus uses one of 3 focus points positioned horizontally in the middle of the frame, and the camera automatically selects the subject on which to focus. Pressing the button repeatedly allows cycling through each of the three focus points.

The 4-direction control positioned below the MENU button, allows navigating the menus, and changing from one image to another when the E-300 is in Playback mode. In addition each of its four directional buttons provides access to a specific camera setting in the capture mode, displaying it on the screen while the Command Dial allows changing the current setting:

	The up arrow calls up Exposure Compensation: ± 5 EV in 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV increments, as selected in the Custom menu.
	The right arrow serves to choose the Auto focus Mode: S-AF focuses when the shutter release is pressed halfway, and will maintain the focus point as long as the shutter release button is kept at the halfway point. C-AF Continuous auto focus behaves the same as single focus, but will adjust the focus if the subject moves. MF Manual Focus makes it possible to focus using the focus ring on the lens. C-AF + MF uses auto focus, but allows fine-tuning the focus using the manual focus ring.
	The down arrow calls up the CCD Sensitivity options: Auto, 100, 200 or 400 ISO. Additionally, when the ISO Boost option is selected in the Custom menu, higher settings of 800 and 1600 ISO are accessible.
	Finally, the left arrow provides access to the Metering Modes: Digital ESP, a type of advanced centre-weighted metering pattern that evaluates the focus point and the rest of the frame. Centre-weighted which gives more importance to the reading taken at the centre of the frame than to the reading obtained for the rest of the frame. Spot concentrates the metering at the centre of the frame.

A last button completes the set of external controls available on the E-300:

While the menu is on the monitor, the OK button serves as way to confirm selections. In addition, using an option found in the camera's Custom menu, the OK button can be assigned another function while the camera is set to one of the capture modes on the Mode Dial, with the exception of the Scene position. The possible functions are: Shortcut which can be setup to access a specific menu function (Drive, One-Touch White Balance, Monotone, Gradation, Saturation, Contrast, Sharpness, White Balance Bracketing). To act as a Depth of Field Preview, closing down the diaphragm to the selected aperture so that the field of view can be seen in the viewfinder. Or to allow switching between AF and MF.

In Playback mode, the button offers yet another function, allowing images to be Protected against accidental erasure.

As noted earlier, the E-300 is equipped with a pop-up flash (GN 13 m at 100 ISO) which is opened by a button on the back of the camera. When open the flash is quite high above the camera, making it unlikely that the lens will cast a shadow in the image. Furthermore, when opened, the flash also serves as an auto focus assist if the ambient light conditions are insufficient for the AF system to function without additional light.

The E-300 is also equipped with a flash or accessory shoe that is fully compatible with flash units developed for the E-1 (FL-20, FL-36 shown at right, FL-50 or even a ring flash specially designed for macro photography), and with some restrictions with third party flash units.

The Olympus E-300 has an excellent ergonomic design thanks to its size, shape, and its unusually positioned TTL optical viewfinder, all of which allow controls to be comfortably separated.