Olympus Evolt E-3 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with Mechanical Image Stabilization
March 7, 2010 | Posted by admin 
- 10-megapixel Live MOS image sensor captures enough detail for photo-quality 18 x 24-inch prints
- 2.5-inch Live View LCD display; magnify directly on the LCD by 5, 7, or 10x
- Mechanical Image Stabilization with Supersonic Wave Drive
- Exclusive dust-free technology for spot-free photos
- Capture images to CompactFlash Type I/II, Microdrive, xD-Picture Card (Dual-Slot)
Product Description
With the E-3 Olympus has developed an impressive array of highly reliable new technologies essential for serious SLR photographers. Olympus cameras have a history of raising the bar when it comes to reliability, toughness and durability – and the E-3 takes it to a whole new level.The E-3 is equipped with a large optical viewfinder that provides 100 percent accurate viewing and 1.15x magnification for reliable composition – what you see is exactly what you’ll get. Even fine details are seen with astonishing clarity. The E-3’s large, precision-crafted pentaprism is crafted from high refractive index glass with a highly reflective silver coating. The eyepiece uses glass lenses. All the lenses are surface coated to maintain brightness. The focusing screen features a Neo Lumi-Micro Mat for bright, easy-to-adjust manual focusing.Spots on photos are now banished forever. The Olympus dust reduction system is an industry first and a proven technology. Every time you turn on the E-3, our Supersonic Wave Filter – located between the shutter and the image sensor – silently vibrates an amazing 30,000 times per second. Dust is blasted away. The dust reduction system even removes dust attached by intermolecular force that can’t be shaken off or discharged with static electricity. Dust will no longer get between you and a great shot.Shoot anywhere, anytime, in any condition. The E-3 body, the built-in flash and the LCD are all splashproof and dustproof. Constructed from a magnesium-alloy with a homogeneous composition, the E-3 is lightweight yet strong and rugged. The same goes for Zuiko Digital lenses. You’ll find splashproof and dustproof models that are as tightly sealed as the camera.To ensure you can keep shooting, even at 5 frames per second, Olympus utilizes a durable shutter mechanism tested to 150,000 cycles making the E-3 the perfect choice for photographers who demand the most from their equipment, in any situation.
Olympus Evolt E-3 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with Mechanical Image Stabilization
Categories: Olympus Digital Cameras | 
Tags: 10.1MP, Camera, Digital, Evolt, Image, Mechanical, Olympus, Stabilization | 
5 Comments »
Very fast.
Good Focusing capability
Less preset options than less expansive cameras (pre set scenes), doesn’t prevent you from taking pictures without a memory card
Rating: 4 / 5
I purchased this kit thru Amazon from Calumet Camera. First let me say that I love my e3. So, to say I am disappointed by the new swivel feature of the LCD screen is to say the least. While the camera is a truely professional rig with more options and customizable featues than you can shake a stick at, and while it takes pictures that rival anything one might see in Vogue or National Geographic, or even on a billboard overlooking your local highway, where it fails miserably is in the newly touted swivel LCD screen. This is one of the features Olympus crows about on their web site and one that puts it apart from its competition. I found the LCD screen very stiff when trying to pry it away from the camera body and in fact found that the LCD case split at the leading edge when I attempted to move it. I can eventually move the LCD screen and it does swivel, but as mentioned earlier, the action is very stiff and resulted in the case splitting. Therefore, I am afraid to touch the thing for fear of doing something that would render the screen completely useless. I have contacted Olympus and the vendor I purchased this kit from and will see what their response is. I haven given the camera 3 starts for now and will update this review with my experience.
Rating: 3 / 5
I have not had the opportunity to used my new camera very much. Most my time so far has been spent reading the camera manual. Boy, this is a complex machine! I am sure that I will learn to appreciate all the possibilities, however, fair warning expect to do some learnin’.
Rating: 4 / 5
this camera is full of useful features with outstanding image quality. regardless of what you might hear that iso performance is inferior to competitors the iso is top class beside y u want to shoot at iso 1600 if you have in camera image stabilizer ?
if you purchase that camera with zuiko 12-60mm lens u might have erratic auto focus at first specially at low light, do the firmware update and you should be fine.
that camera is not for 1st time SLR user, it doesn’t have scene mode, and there is plenty of costume setting. it takes time to fully master that camera its like wild horse once you are at the top of it the camera will serve you well.
as all Olympus cameras the menu is easy to use and the super panel is great idea.
problems:
1-auto white balance is not accurate indoors. outdoors its spot one.
2-the manual is not helpful to say the least, every thing is in p95 !!!
3-battery life is not the best. i advice to get extra battery
nothing serious though
Rating: 5 / 5
I love Olympus DSLRs and currently own the E-1, E-500, E-510 & E-520, I had been holding out on the E-3 due to it’s high price, but I eventually caved in and got one as I was finding my E-1 trailing in terms of resolution and missed the IS on the newer bodies.
My first impression as I picked up and used the E-3 was very alien….I just didn’t feel at home, especially after having used an E-1 all this time. The button layout is also very different from what’s on the E-510/520, so I found myself on uncharted territory as this camera needed some “re-learning”. Also, the grip didn’t feel awfully right as the front control wheel didn’t fall naturally on my index finger as it did with the E-1 and I couldn’t help but wonder why Olympus had changed the E-3 so much?? Wouldn’t it have been easier for E-1 users, considering they’ve used it for so long, to move to a camera which looked and behaved similarly?? But all this became moot after one weekend of shooting with the E-3. This is a very easy to use camera and the reason why the re-design was necessary was because this was a whole new camera!
The biggest improvements for me were:
1. Incorporating in-body stabilization.
2. On-board flash, this can be a life-saver when you require fill flash without a bulky FL-50.
3. Bigger and brighter LCD, big step from the E-1!
4. Lastly, twice the resolution offered by the E-1.
Build quality of the camera is excellent, although the battery door and the swivel LCD seemed like the weakest points of this body and I remain sceptical about these two areas of the body to date.
In terms of IQ, this camera goes head to head with any APS-C DSLR out there and can produce stunning images up to about ISO 1250. Once you go beyond this, the IQ degrades substantially and it’s no longer on par with its APS-C rivals. As such I would recommend using this camera below ISO 1250 to get the best possible IQ out of it. In terms of JPEG quality with regards to colours and tones, the E-3 is simply stunning! In case you do wish to use higher ISOs, I would recommend shooting RAW and carefully processing as there is visible banding in the shadows when you go to ISO 1600 and upwards. At lower ISOs sometimes I saw noise in the skies, but this seemed very inconsistent and I’m not sure why it appeared in some images and and wasn’t visible in others.
Overall, this is an excellent pro-level four-thirds camera and balances very well with the SHG Zuiko lenses. If you have the money and are willing to work within its limitations, this camera can offer some stunning images and I would highly recommend it.
Personally, I kept my E-1 and gave my E-3 to my brother as I’m still able to pull the same IQ from the E-1 as I can from the E-3 (apart from resolution).
Rating: 4 / 5