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Thread: E3 Pre-Review

  1. #1
    Senior Shooter Greg McCary's Avatar
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    E3 Pre-Review

    Well I finally got my hands on an E3. I have been shooting with it now for about two weeks. I really want to get a good handle on things before I write a full review but I thought that I would share some about the camera here.
    First thing that I did after charging the battery was to upgrade the firmware to 1.2. The upgrade is suppose to fix a white balance issue.
    The E3 is a pretty heavy camera, curb weight of 1.79 pounds. It is a heavy camera and with the 14-54mm, 435grams, mounted on it you are looking at a tank. Almost three pounds.
    Second was the controls. Much different than the 510. The dial on the front of the camera was factory default as the aperature dial and the rear dial was for shutter speed. I changed this in programming since I wanted the shutter dial on the front. I could use the 510 in the dark and never miss a beat. But the E3 is much different and it is going to take some getting use to. But it seems to be well layed out and I really haven't had any problems so far.
    Next was the focus. I am using the 14-54mm lens and all I can say is "Wow". It smokes the 510 in focus speed. Even in low light and a non SWD lens it is lightning fast. I tried the 40-150mm kit lens as well and there are times in lowlight it struggled to get focused. But with the right lighting it is faster too.
    Noise levels are much lower. Here is a shot at 400ISO hand held. I took this with the 40-150mm kit lens.



    I would never want to shoot landscapes any higher than 400ISO but for chasing kids around the park 3200ISO looks pretty good.



    It is also nice that the LCD screen can be flipped around for protection when not in use. I am not sure how often I will use the live view feature but it is still nice to have just in case. It's pretty hard to bend down to take flower pictures after two back surgeries so it is a feature I am sure I will use from time to time.
    The Image Stabilisation also seems smoother. I am not sure if it is the added weight of the camera or a better design but I could feel the IS working in the 510 on some exposures but not with the E3. You still have the rattling noise when you turn the camera off and the IS is on. But the IS seemes to be another feature that was improved.
    I also like the larger viewfinder. It is a very nice improvement over the 510.
    I will write a full review as soon as I feel I have learned enough, but from what I have seen so far I am very impressed. The image quality is awesome. Better dynamic range and lower noise levels all the way around. If you have any questions feel free to ask.....

    1600ISO
    I am like Barney Fife, I have a gun but Andy makes me keep the bullet in my pocket..

    Sony a99/a7R

  2. #2
    Member Atomic2's Avatar
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    can you post a link to full size images at 3200 and 1600 ISOs?
    E-3, E-510
    12-60 2.8-4.0
    40-150 3.5-4.5
    Sigma 30 1.4
    Zenit 58 F2 [with M42 adapter]
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  3. #3
    Senior Shooter Greg McCary's Avatar
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    I added a couple to my site www.gregmccary.com Look in the E3 gallery. I will add more as time permits.
    I am like Barney Fife, I have a gun but Andy makes me keep the bullet in my pocket..

    Sony a99/a7R

  4. #4
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    Wow they really have improved the sensor if that is all the noise you get in a mixed exposure at 1600 like the light bulb shot. I should've waited for the E520 to get that sensor upgrade....hmm... I wonder if I can make 2 more trips for a warranty fix on my E500 and get them to upgrade my camera body =) lol
    Shooting with an Olympus Evolt E-510 and loving it


    Equipment list:
    Olympus Evolt E-3, E-620, E-500
    Olympus Zuiko 40 - 150 F4.0 - 5.6
    Olympus Zuiko 14 - 45 F 2.8 - 3.6
    Sigma 50 - 500 F 4.0 - 6.3
    Sigma 70 - 200 F2.8
    Olympus FL-38 Flash x2
    Vivitar 285 HV
    Better Beamer Flash Extender

    http://www.jdtimages.ca/

    A Photographer that is fluent in Sarcasm.

  5. #5
    Senior Shooter Greg McCary's Avatar
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    I have seen sample pictures with the 520 and it will be a nice improvement over the 510. I think as much as improving the sensor the image processing in the camera has improved. With you shooting sports the fast focus would amaze you no doubt. I hope to have a night shooting this weekend and will have more examples soon.
    I am like Barney Fife, I have a gun but Andy makes me keep the bullet in my pocket..

    Sony a99/a7R

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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    It makes for a good family, general walk around cam but after 1600 iso you can seriously see the quality degrade (especially in the 3200). Sadly the best perk to olympus is their exclusive Z lenses..that said it's not totally useless cam by all means it has the best quality lenses in the world...i just wish their cameras were a lot more well equipped like the kodak, pentax, nikon and canon bodies are. I mean a sensor size of less than an XTI on their flagship?...
    Last edited by Kajuah; 07-19-2008 at 01:33 AM.

  7. #7
    Member Atomic2's Avatar
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    As far as I know, you wont get good photos at ISO 3200 with any camera.
    E-3, E-510
    12-60 2.8-4.0
    40-150 3.5-4.5
    Sigma 30 1.4
    Zenit 58 F2 [with M42 adapter]
    Metz 48

  8. #8
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    Quote Originally Posted by Atomic2
    As far as I know, you wont get good photos at ISO 3200 with any camera.
    Inevitably you need to increase your knowledge, then.

    Take a look at 3200-12800iso (at the bottom) for the nikon d3

    http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3/example-images.htm

    Still usable, 25600 is a bit of a stretch though even for that thing

    Prices are a lot different, of course, but my argument is the flagship of the other big players' ISO performance beats the e3 by far and it shouldn't be like that for a camera that boasts some of the best consumer-priced glass in the world
    Last edited by Kajuah; 07-19-2008 at 04:01 PM.

  9. #9
    Senior Shooter Greg McCary's Avatar
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    I agree the noise levels of the Oly's still have a ways to go to touch the competition. But there is a trade off of having the in camera IS. I shot this picture hand held at 800ISO. A very usable image. I have seen banding at 3200 and haven't shot because of that. Olympus may never compete with a full frame sensor but the trade of is no tripod and I can shoot a 1/10th a sec and slower. Sweet trade if you ask me. I probabaly could have shot this at 400ISO but forgot and had left the E3 at 800 by mistake. I used no NR software either.

    I am like Barney Fife, I have a gun but Andy makes me keep the bullet in my pocket..

    Sony a99/a7R

  10. #10
    Member Atomic2's Avatar
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    Quote Originally Posted by Kajuah
    Inevitably you need to increase your knowledge, then.

    Take a look at 3200-12800iso (at the bottom) for the nikon d3

    http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3/example-images.htm

    Still usable, 25600 is a bit of a stretch though even for that thing

    Prices are a lot different, of course, but my argument is the flagship of the other big players' ISO performance beats the e3 by far and it shouldn't be like that for a camera that boasts some of the best consumer-priced glass in the world

    im pretty impressed, i must admit.
    E-3, E-510
    12-60 2.8-4.0
    40-150 3.5-4.5
    Sigma 30 1.4
    Zenit 58 F2 [with M42 adapter]
    Metz 48

  11. #11
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    Quote Originally Posted by Greg McCary
    I agree the noise levels of the Oly's still have a ways to go to touch the competition. But there is a trade off of having the in camera IS. I shot this picture hand held at 800ISO. A very usable image. I have seen banding at 3200 and haven't shot because of that. Olympus may never compete with a full frame sensor but the trade of is no tripod and I can shoot a 1/10th a sec and slower. Sweet trade if you ask me. I probabaly could have shot this at 400ISO but forgot and had left the E3 at 800 by mistake. I used no NR software either.

    I agree with you, my thoughts aren't meant to be argumentative, just wishful thinking

  12. #12
    Senior Shooter Greg McCary's Avatar
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    I know where you are coming from. Sometimes I wonder what the future holds for the 4/3rds system. How are can they push the meg pixels and just how much noise can be reduced? The competition have some stunning cameras on the market and some better ones just around the corner.
    I am like Barney Fife, I have a gun but Andy makes me keep the bullet in my pocket..

    Sony a99/a7R

  13. #13
    Member Atomic2's Avatar
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    Oly needs a true flagship model, the E3 is barely keeping up with the mid level SLRs, and for a higher price.
    E-3, E-510
    12-60 2.8-4.0
    40-150 3.5-4.5
    Sigma 30 1.4
    Zenit 58 F2 [with M42 adapter]
    Metz 48

  14. #14
    Member ComicDom1's Avatar
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    I had the E-3 shortly after it was released. I did order the 12-60 SWD with it when it came out. While I think the build on the camera was very good, the placement of some of the controls and the menu system was less than optimal. While I did like the E-3 I found it noisy at the higher ISO's This certainly does not make it a bad camera and I feel the E-3 is quite capable when used within its limits. I should qualify this statement by telling you that I shot sports for a local newspaper for several years. When I got the E-3 I took it with me to a sporting event and shot it side by side with my Canon 1DMKII. With all the raves and claims about the AF on the E-3 I wanted to test the claims myself. The real problem for Olympus at that time was the lack of a fast focusing prime. Since the 12-60 SWD is not a constant aperture lens, I found the AF and focus lock suffering in the lighting of a poorly lit gym. I tried the 50mm Macro that Olympus sent me to work with as well and while it could focus in lower light, it was just not designed to focus fast enough to use effectively for sports. I did find the 35-100 2.0 lens much more effective in this lighting but I felt the noise at the higher iso when using the E-3 was counter productive for me. Also the effective focal length of 70-200 limited my shots when shooting indoor basketball. I have noticed that lately Olympus have finally produced a 14-35mm F 2.0 constant aperture lens. The effective focal length of 28-70 combined with the Faster F stop of 2.0 make this a much more usable lens for indoor sports in poor lighting. Unfortunately this lens was not available at the time I had my E-3. Normally I shoot my indoor basket ball with an 85mm 1.8 lens. Even on my older 1D MK1 the 85 1.8 could get the job done. Again unfortunately Olympus has not a similar primes at this focal length with a 1.8 f stop. While post processing is effective on many noise issues, I personally do not want to spend a lot of extra time having to examine every photo I shoot to correct that issue and assure I got good focus lock. So I feel that Olympus does have a ways to go controlling the noise at higher iso's. While many will claim that they do not care about Higher ISO noise, I think that is great but those of us that do use it, need Olympus to seriously address that issue.

    I think its also important to note here that amount of noise you see in an image, is dependent on the color of the subject you are shooting. For instance, if you shoot a cat, noise can be hidden in the texture of its fur. Noise can also be hidden by the size of the photo you view or print. The larger you view or print an image, the more noticeable it will become.

    After reviewing my personal results with the E-3 and the lenses offered at the time, I decided the E-3 was not for me. I am one of those who finally left the Olympus camp in the days of the E-10 and E-20 along with several others. Many of us impatiently waited for Olympus to come forth with a camera and lens system that would compete with the best offerings from both Nikon and Canon. What Olympus finally did offer was the E-1 which was another body with a great build, but it was less than what the competition offered and a disappointment to many that needed or wanted more. You do have to give credit where credit is due. Olympus has been very innovative in what they have offered the market.

    In closing, if Olympus really wants to make more of an impact on the market, then they are going to have to deliver just like Nikon recently has. In the end, the real winners are the end users because it will allow all of us more options to choose from and put pressure for improvement on the competition.

    Jason

  15. #15
    Senior Shooter Greg McCary's Avatar
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    Re: E3 Pre-Review

    Thanks Jason for the insite.I have never shot sports, other than tee ball, but have always wanted to give it a try.
    I am like Barney Fife, I have a gun but Andy makes me keep the bullet in my pocket..

    Sony a99/a7R

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