Olympus E-330

Reviewed July 2006

Introduction

If at a glance the Olympus Evolt E-330 resembles the E-300, it is in fact a very different camera. The E-330 is a digital reflex camera equipped with a unique viewfinder system, and one that offers a 7.5 megapixel resolution using a Four-Thirds CCD.

The E-330 is equipped with a 2.5" variable angle monitor, similar to the one found on the Olympus C-8080WZ, composed of 215,250 pixels, and finished with an anti-glare coating. The monitor can be tilted down 45°, or tilted up 45° and 90°.

In addition to its TTL optical viewfinder — that has the reflex mirror mounted horizontally allowing the viewfinder’s exit pupil to be close to the left side of the camera — the E330 has a system that allows it to show the image coming from the lens simultaneously on the LCD monitor.

This system, called “Live View” by Olympus, gives this reflex camera a flexibility for framing shots that was up to now reserved for compact cameras with variable angle monitors. The system uses a half-mirror that redirects some of the light entering the camera to a secondary sensor — a 5-megapixel CCD — positioned directly below the top of the camera. (See illustration below).

The Live View system has two modes:

• Mode A: allows the simultaneous use of the TTL viewfinder and of the monitor, the secondary sensor obtaining an image using the light passing through the mirror. With this mode, the monitor shows approximately 92% of the image.
  
• Mode B: requires closing the eyepiece shutter so that 100% of the image captured by the Live MOS (the sensor that captures the image) can be seen on the monitor. This mode, however, requires that the image be manually focused*.

* A new version of the Firmware, version 1.2, makes it possible to auto focus by momentarily flipping down the mirror.

Mode A makes it possible to increase CCD sensitivity (Live View Boost) to compose the shot in low light, something that would be difficult using the viewfinder exclusively. Mode B allows magnifying the centre of the monitor image up to 10X to ascertain focus, and is well suited to macro photography.

The TTL viewfinder, a Porro type that has a horizontal light path instead of the more common vertical types, shows 95% of the image. It has an eye point of 18 mm, making it possible to wear glasses while looking through it, and also a dioptre adjustment (-3.0 to +1). In addition, an eyepiece shutter can be used to prevent light entering the camera during long exposures, or while when Live View is used in Mode B.

Nevertheless, the viewfinder is a touch narrow and the information presented on the right side of the image can be a bit difficult to read:

• Aperture,
• Shutter speed,
• Focus point indicator,
• Flash indicator,
• White balance,
• AEL (Auto Exposure Lock) indicator,
• Shot counter,
• Exposure Compensation if any,
• Metering mode,
• Battery state,
• Exposure mode (P, Ps, A, S, M only).

When the Live View modes are used, the monitor can show current settings superimposed on the image at the press of the INFO button (see further) appearing on the periphery of the frame, with at the centre a reproduction of the metering zone and of the AF points as they appear in the viewfinder.

In addition, when Mode A is used, a portrait guide, horizontal or vertical, can be displayed; while when Mode B is in use, two different types of composition grids (golden section, or grid) or a scale can be superimposed.

The external controls of the Olympus E-330 are typical for a digital SLR.

The 2-stage Shutter Release is positioned at the top of the grip, while directly behind it is the Exposure Compensation button (±5 EV in 1/3, ½, or 1 EV increments).

Behind is the Mode Dial, which is above the Power Switch, itself slightly recessed into the body to prevent an accidental activation.

The Command Dial, beneath the Mode Dial, can be controlled with the thumb to permit a variety of operations (detailed further). Moreover, when the camera is set to the Playback mode, it can be used to magnify an image displayed on the monitor up to 10X or present thumbnails of the images in groups of 4, 9, 16, or 25, the latter using a calendar presentation.

To its right, a focal plane indicator showing the position of the Live MOS sensor within the camera can be used for special applications such as macro photography when distances between the focal plane and the subject must be calculated precisely. On the left, a small blue LED labelled SSWF (Supersonic Wave Filter) blinks every time the camera is powered up, indicating that the ultra sound sensor cleaning system is active, shaking off any dust that might have been deposited on the sensor.

The Mode Dial has 10 positions, each corresponding to a capture mode and organized into 2 groups separated by the P (Program) mode. The advanced modes are composed of:

	Program mode allows the camera to select the exposure parameters. However, Program Shift is also available, making it possible to vary the combination of aperture and shutter speed using the Command Dial.
	Aperture Priority gives control over the aperture to the user while the camera sets the shutter speed.
	Shutter Priority lets the user select the shutter speed while the camera matches it to an aperture.
	Manual mode provides control over both aperture and shutter speed, making it possible to adjust each in turn by pressing the Exposure Compensation button to move from one to the other.

On the other side of the P mode, 5 Scene modes are immediately accessible. And, while these modes preset the camera for a specific subject, most parameters can be adjusted:

	Portrait mode uses a large aperture to capture a sharp subject on a non-distracting blurred background. ISO and white balance are set automatically by default, and sharpness is softened.
	Landscape mode accentuates blues and greens. By default, the ISO is set to Auto, white balance to sun, and sharpness and contrast are accentuated.
	Close up mode allows manually tweaking the auto focus. The ISO and white balance are set to Auto by default, but can be modified.
	Sports mode gives more importance to the shutter speed to freeze movement. By default, the continuous shooting mode is selected, ISO and white balance are set to Auto, and the auto focus is set to continuous.
	Night Scene and Portrait mode allows exposures as long as 1 second. ISO is set to Auto and the white balance to sun by default. Sharpness is softened and contrast slightly accentuated.

The Scene position gives access to any one of the 20 Scene modes offered on the E-330. These modes are fully automatic and do not allow any changes to camera settings.

When the Mode Dial is set to the Scene position, a scene selection menu appears automatically on the monitor.

Each program is accompanied by a short text description, and a typical image:

	Portrait		Macro
	Landscape		Nature Macro
	Landscape + Portrait		Candle
	Night Scene		Sunset
	Night + Portrait		Fireworks
	Children		Documents
	Sport		Panorama
	High Key		Beach and Snow
	Low Key		Underwater Wide
	Image Stabilization		Underwater Macro

All the remaining external controls of the E-330 are on the back. On the right side of the viewfinder’s exit pupil are:

• The eyepiece shutter lever.
• The Live View selection button.
• The Display button, , which activates the monitor when the camera is set to the Live View mode.

Above, a button labelled serves to release the E-330’s internal, pop-up flash. The flash has a Guide Number of 13 at 100 ISO, and extends far enough above the body of the camera to avoid having the lens cast a shadow in the image.

In addition, the E-330 is equipped with a hot shoe with dedicated contacts for Olympus flash units FL-20, FL-36 and FL-50, which all synchronize at 1/80 second.

Four rectangular buttons are stacked on the left side of the monitor:

Another group of controls are located on the right side of the monitor, two of which are rectangular buttons that are above the 4-direction control:

The 4-direction control is next. As usual, it serves to navigate the E-330's menu and to review images. Moreover, each of its four directions serves to control a specific setting while the camera is set to a capture mode.

Pressing any of these four buttons displays a function setting screen with options that can be selected using the 4-direction control, or the Command Dial:

	The top button serves to set the White Balance: Auto, Sun, Cloudy, Shadow, Tungsten (incandescent), Fluorescent 1 (white), Fluorescent 2 (neutral), Fluorescent 3 (daylight), Custom (set under ambient lighting conditions) and Custom (which allows selecting the white balance from a range that covers from 2,000 to 14,000 K).
	The right button serves to select the Focus Mode: S-AF (Single AF) starts the auto focus when the shutter release is pressed halfway and locks it while the shutter release is held half-pressed. C-AF (Continuous AF) starts the auto focusing when the shutter release is pressed halfway, and continues focusing to track a moving subject while the shutter release is held at the halfway point. MF (Manual Focus) allows focusing with the focus ring on the lens. S-AF + MF allows fine-tuning the focus set by the camera C-AF + MF allows fine tuning the continuous focus set by the camera.
	The left button serves to select the Metering Mode: Digital ESP, provides a 49-segment metering pattern. Centre-weighted also uses 49 segments but is biased towards the reading obtained at the centre of the frame. Spot is based on a reading obtained in an area at the centre of the frame that corresponds to approximately 2% of the entire frame. Spot Metering Highlight Control meters the centre of the image but takes into account the overall background when it is bright. Spot Metering Shadow Control meters the centre of the frame but takes into account the overall background when it is dark.
	The down button serves to select CCD Sensitivity. The values available depend on the EV increment selected in the menu 1/3 or 1 EV (see the Characteristics section of the review): Auto, 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320 or 400 ISO. Moreover, when the ISO Boost option is selected in the menu, sensitivities of 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250 or 1600 ISO are available.

The button, at the centre of the 4-direction control serves to confirm menu selections. While when the camera is set to the Playback mode, it serves to select images, which can then be used to delete all the marked images, or copy all the marked images from one memory card to another.

More than in any other way, the E-330 stands out from other current digital SLR cameras because of its Live View system that allows the user to use the monitor as a viewfinder. The system offers some clear advantages with macro photography since, in combination with the variable angle monitor, it makes it easier to compose shots that require the camera to be close to the subject.

Still, the Olympus E-330 is a camera that is a bit intimidating at first. Although it has a manageable number of external controls, some of their functions vary according to the capture mode, or the Live View mode selected, or even the focus mode in use. Therefore, with the E-330, a close reading of the instruction manual is required, as is some time to get accustomed the intricacies of the controls. The ergonomic design of the camera is excellent however, making the learning curve a pleasant one.