Olympus E-510

Reviewed September 2007

Introduction

The Olympus E-510 is a new and more advanced version of the E-410. It retains most of the latter's characteristics — a 4/3 10 megapixel Live MOS sensor, a Zuiko Digital lens mount and a 2.5-inch monitor that offers Live View — but adds a built-in image stabilizer and other internal features.

Although the top of the E-510 is slightly different from the E-410, the controls are identical.

The front top of the grip supports the round chrome button of the 2-stage shutter release, with directly behind it a small button labelled that changes function according the current mode of the camera:

• When used in conjunction with the Control Dial (see further) and when the camera is set to P, A, S or the Scene modes that have their own position on the Mode Dial, the button allows adjusting the Exposure Compensation over a range of ± 5 EV in 1/3 EV, 1/2EV or 1 EV increments.

• With the Manual mode, the button serves to toggle between aperture and shutter speed, making it possible to set both as needed.
• While with the Playback mode, the button serves to change the orientation of an image in 90° increments counter-clockwise.

Mounted near the rear of the camera and to the right, the Control Dial is one of the most functional external controls of the E-510: it serves to select the shutter speed or the aperture, as well as functions that are set using buttons on the camera, and to navigate menus.

Moreover, when the E-510 is in Playback mode, it serves to see captured images in an index format showing 4, 9, 16 or 25 images per screen, or in a calendar format, or zoom into an image up to 14X.

The Mode Dial is to the left of the Control Dial, near the viewfinder prism housing. Beneath it is the Power Switch with at the 11 o'clock position a small blue LED labelled SSWF(Supersonic Wave Filter) that blinks every time the camera is turned on, to indicate that the dust reduction system is operating.

The Mode Dial has 11 positions, each corresponding to a capture mode. These modes are divided into 2 groups by the Auto mode:

	Program also allows the camera to set both the aperture and the shutter speed while leaving complete control over all other variables to the user. The Control Dial can be used to alter the aperture and shutter speed combination selected by the camera (Program Shift) so that preference can be given to the shutter speed, or the depth of field.
	Aperture Priority provides control over the aperture, and therefore over the depth of field, while the camera adjusts the shutter speed. The aperture range depends on the lens in use.
	Shutter Priority provides control over the shutter speed while the camera adjusts the aperture. A shutter speed range of 1/4000 second to 60 seconds is available.
	Manual allows setting both the shutter speed using the Control Dial, and while pressing the button, the aperture. In addition, the Manual mode offers a Bulb mode that has a maximum exposure time of 8 minutes, but which requires the use of the optional remote control (RM-UC1).

The middle position of the E-510 is clearly identified in blue:

This mode allows the camera to set most settings. Still, all parameters selected by the camera, with the exception of the aperture and shutter speed, can be modified by the user if desired.

The Scene modes that are arranged on the other side of the Auto mode offer some user control over camera parameters — exposure compensation, ISO sensitivity, flash mode, etc. — unlike those that accessed through the SCENE position on the Mode Dial.

	Portrait mode uses a large aperture to obtain a well-focused subject and an out-of-focus background. By default, sensitivity and white balance are set to Auto, but can be modified, and sharpness is softened slightly.
	Landscape is intended to capture scenery and slightly accentuates blues, greens, sharpness and contrast. The mode's default settings set the sensitivity to Auto, the white balance to Sun, and the sharpness and contrast are accentuated.
	Macro allows the focus to be manually fine-tuned while still letting the auto focus 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 + Portrait allows the camera to capture exposures that are up to 1 second long. The default setting for the mode uses Auto ISO, Sun white balance, and softens both sharpness and contrasts. The flash is set to Slow Synch.

• Portrait
• Landscape
• Landscape + Portrait
• Night Scene
• Night + Portrait
• Children
• Sport
• High Key
• Low Key
• DIS Mode (electronic stabilization)

• Macro
• Nature Macro
• Candle
• Sunset
• Fireworks
• Documents
• Panorama (only available when using an Olympus brand x card.)
• Beach & Snow

The prism housing of the E-510 supports a flash hotshoe that is dedicated to Olympus flash units FL-50, FL-36, FL-20, RF-11 and TF-22.

The TTL viewfinder offers an eye point of 14 mm and a sharp, clear image. The viewfinder covers approximately 95% of the frame vertically and horizontally. It also provides a dioptre correction of -3 to +1 dioptre, controlled by a small dial on the right side of the exit pupil, next to the rubber eyecup. The eyecup itself can be removed and a cap, supplied with the camera, can be used to prevent stray light from entering the camera during long exposures.

The viewfinder's focusing screen is etched with two specific zones:

• A circle that indicates the dominant metering area when ESP metering is used.
• The three AF areas which, when active, light up in red briefly to confirm the focus point. The centre AF point is cross-shaped and provides a greater detection area than the right and left AF zones.

To the right, a display provides camera settings when the metering is active:

• Aperture,
• Shutter speed,
• Focus indicator,
• Flash indicator,
• White balance setting,
• AEL (Auto Exposure Lock),
• Frame counter,
• Exposure compensation (if any),
• Metering mode,
• Battery state,
• Exposure Mode (P, Ps, A, S, M only), and
• Stabilizer mode (when active).

Still on the top part of the E-510, but on the left side of the prism housing, two small buttons control:

The Manual opening of the Flash when the camera is set to P, Ps, A, S, and M modes. With the camera set to Auto or SCENE the flash opens automatically, a behaviour that can be controlled in the Setup menu (see the Interface and Software section of the review).

The other button controls the drive mode when the camera is set to a capture mode: Single Frame shooting: captures one image every time the shutter release is pressed. Sequential shooting: captures up to 7 frames at 3 frames per second (SHQ, HQ and SQ modes only). Focus and exposure are locked at the first frame. Self-Timer shooting: offers a delay of 2 or 12 seconds. Remote Control shooting (using the optional RM-UC1 remote): provides a choice of a 0-second delay, or of a 2-second delay.

With the camera in Playback mode, the button controls two other functions: First it serves to copy an image from one memory card to another, as the E-410 accepts both xD and CompactFlash type I and II. And, when the E-510 is directly connected to a PictBridge compliant printer through USB, the button serves to start printing photos.

A symbol, , placed to the right of the Drive button indicates the precise position of the sensor — the focal plane — making it possible to measure sensor-to-subject distance when the camera is used in applications such as copy work.

Aside from the lens release button, all the other external controls of the E-510 are on the back of the camera, arranged on either side of the 2.5-inch (6.5 cm) monitor composed of 230,000 pixels. And it is there that some of the differences between the E-410 and the E-510 become more noticeable.

On the right of the viewfinder's exit pupil the AEL-AFL serves to lock both the metered exposure and the focus when pressed and held. The button's function can be modified in the Setup Menu, however, so that it locks either the auto exposure or the auto focus, or the user can even change its assigned function according to the focus mode (AF-S, AF-C or Manual). When the E-510 is in playback mode, the button then serves to protect an image, preventing any accidental erasure.

Near the top of the back, two other buttons are positioned so that they are easily pressed with the thumb:

Fn

Can be configured to provide a direct access to any of the following functions: Off. One-Touch White Balance. Test Picture: allows seeing the photo as it will be captured without it being saved to the memory card. My Mode: serves to capture a picture using My Mode settings previously selected through the My Mode option of the Setup menu (this menu is detailed in the Interface and Software section of the review). Two My Mode settings can be programmed and the one to be used can be selected. Preview: serves to preview the image using the selected aperture (depth of field preview). Live Preview: provides the same function as Preview, but using the monitor in Live View mode while the button is held pressed.

The other button serves to select the AF point. Pressing the button once displays a screen from which the left, centre or right AF point can be selected, or even all three, which allows the camera to select the focus point automatically.

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

• The button labelled starts the Playback mode.
• The button marked serves to delete one image at a time when the E-510 is in Playback mode.
• The MENU button displays the menu system of the camera. (The various sections of the menu are described in the Characteristics and Interface and Software sections of the review.)
• The last button is labelled INFO and when the E-510 is set to a capture mode, displays a screen that details the current settings of the camera.

When the E-510 is set to a capture mode, the INFO button serves to display current camera settings, showing first a screen that only shows the most basic settings, then one that is very detailed. Moreover, when the OK button at the centre of the Arrow Pad is pressed, any of the settings shown on the screen (ISO, white balance, flash, compensation, metering, etc.) can be modified directly.

In the Playback mode the button controls the level of information superimposed on the image. Seven presentations are available:

• Image only.
• Information 1: frame number, DPOF setting, protect status, image size, and the image's file name.
• Information 2: file name, DPOF setting, protect status, capture mode, compression setting, date and capture time.
• Shooting Information: divides the screen into 3 regions, showing the photo under review in the upper left corner with its histogram for all 4 components (brightness, red, blue and green) below, and placing all the shooting data in a column on the right side of the monitor.
• Histogram Display: shows the image full-screen, superimposing a histogram that shows the distribution of brightness in the image. The memory type and image quality settings are also indicated.
• Highlight Display: makes potentially overexposed areas of the image blink. The memory type and image quality settings are also indicated.
• Shadow Display: makes potentially underexposed areas of the image blink. The memory type and image quality settings are also indicated.

Two round buttons are position in a slightly recessed area immediately to the right of the monitor.

At the top, the button labelled IS controls the Image Stabilizer which operates by shifting the sensor so as to compensate for vibrations and the involuntary movements of the photographer. The system allows the camera to capture sharp images at shutter speeds lower than would otherwise be necessary to prevent camera shake. When pressed, the button displays three options on the monitor:

• OFF: turns off the stabilization system, necessary when the camera is mounted on a tripod as the system can cause an interference.
• IS. 1: stabilizes the image for both vertical and horizontal movements.
• IS. 2: the image is only stabilized for vertical movement, allowing the photographer to use panning to capture a subject moving horizontally.

The next button, , switches the camera to Live View mode.

When the Live View mode is active, the mirror goes up and the shutter curtain is opened so that the CCD is exposed to the light coming through the lens and the image is sent to the monitor. Focusing must then be done manually. Pressing the INFO button (see further), it is possible to display different levels of information along with the image, including a real-time histogram, or a composition grid.

On the right is the Arrow Pad — a control composed of four directional buttons surrounding one labelled OK — which serves for navigation in the menus and image review when the camera is set to the playback mode. In addition, each of its four directional buttons supports an additional function when the camera is set to a capture mode.

Pressing any one of these arrow buttons causes a short menu to appear on screen from which a selection can be made using either the Arrow Pad or the Control Dial:

While the overall ergonomic design of the Olympus E-510 is very similar to the E-410, the improved grip gives the camera a much more secure in-hand feel. Similarly, the external controls on the back of the E-510 are more extensive than those of the E-410, making it possible to set a number of parameters faster. The viewfinder, however, remains tight for any user that wears eyeglasses, and often forces squishing one's nose against the monitor to see the data presented on the right side of the image.