Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: Quentin on June 24, 2007, 01:39:13 pm

Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: Quentin on June 24, 2007, 01:39:13 pm
Just purchased an Olympus E-510 as a lightweight carry around camera, and I am impressed by it.  Anyone else here tempted?  UK dealers are selling out as soon as they get stock in.  Well worth a try.

Quentin
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: Quentin on June 25, 2007, 05:20:28 pm
Quote
Just purchased an Olympus E-510 as a lightweight carry around camera, and I am impressed by it.  Anyone else here tempted?  UK dealers are selling out as soon as they get stock in.  Well worth a try.

Quentin
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=124670\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

To follow up, I have to say the Olympus E-510 is just about the best designed most user friendly dslr I have tried.  The menus are easy to navigate, the anti dust works, as does the excellent built-in image stabilisation.  And the image quality is up with the best 10mp cameras.  Something of a breakthrough product.  Pity it's so cheap, otherwise it might be taken more seriously  

Quentin
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: DarkPenguin on June 25, 2007, 05:26:03 pm
How did you test the anti dust?
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: Quentin on June 25, 2007, 06:13:16 pm
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How did you test the anti dust?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=124844\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I didn't. Its possible its just less prone to dust, as there is not so much as a speck of dust so far. I don't plan on pouring dust in the front of the camera anytime soon, but a German mag did a comparative test where they did just that and the Olympus system worked better than "other brands"

Quentin
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: rforman9 on June 26, 2007, 08:44:49 am
Hi Quentin,

I agree!  The e510 is a breakthrough product.  It has all the features I was looking for in a camera.  The anti-dust was not high on my list, but it's a welcome feature. the anti-shake, and the price point for a 10MP DSLR with two lens kit is what got my attention.  Also, I've been an olympus fan since my stylus 15 years ago.

I just picked up an E510 yesterday.  It's my first DSLR and I'm kind of a newbie.  There is one thing I've been trying to figure out.  Is there a way to focus without setting off the bursts of flashes?  It's seems as if everytime I push the shutter release halfway, it acts like it's doing a red eye reduction flash.  I'm sure the answer is in the manual, but I haven't found it in there yet.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Rich
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: MatthewCromer on June 26, 2007, 12:02:33 pm
Hi Quentin.

A friend of mine who has accompanied me on numerous nature photography trips decided he wants to start doing landscapes.

As the photographic expert friend I went with him to the store and he ended up purchasing the E-510 two-lens kit, a tripod, head, CF cards, etc.

I was very favorably impressed with the camera and the lenses.  If I had some extra money I'd definitely consider getting it and the 7-14 lens.  I shoot a Sony R1 and I have been waiting for a dSLR with a live LCD for composing, as I do not like being forced to stick the camera on my face to use it.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: dkusner on June 27, 2007, 10:56:33 am
I've been thinking about the E-510, or possibly even the E-410 (trying to decide how much of a priority image-stabilization is for me versus size/weight). They seem to combine the best features of digicams and SLRs, and I've mostly given up waiting for better digicams to come along, and the Canon 5D is just too big/heavy for me for everyday purposes.

My only concerns so far with the comparison images I've seen is that Olympus tends to blow highlights, implying a narrower dynamic range, but this may only be slight sensor sensitivity differences between it and the comparison model (usually a Canon 30D). I'm starting to think that straight comparisons with the exact same exposure settings may be misleading.

I haven't bought yet, but I'm watching closely.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: BJL on June 27, 2007, 05:56:57 pm
To Quentin (and other new E-510 owners),

   I will be very interested to read about your further experience with what seems to be the best received 4/3 camera so far. The E-510 is a big enough step forward from my E-1 that I am for the first time tempted to upgrade. For me it is "double or bust" when it comes to pixel count increases, but the greatest attractions are stabilization for the lenses I already have and LiveView for precise macro focusing.

I am waiting for details of the promised next higher end Olympus model, which I expect to have the same sensor (or one of the same pixel count but with multi-channel read-out for a higher frame rate), upgrading instead in other respects like more sophisticated AF, more rugged but heaver, two control wheels, articulated LCD, etc.  So comments on image quality and best settings for JPEG conversion and such will probably apply to either option.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: robertwatcher on June 27, 2007, 06:39:33 pm
I used a E-500 for about 6 months professionally (about a year and a half ago) and loved it as well. Loved the skin tones right out of the camera. This shouldn't be much different I suspect - and probably much better with the Anti Shake and the tiltable live view (I was tempted to get the 330 just to have that feature) and slightly newer technology.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: BJL on June 28, 2007, 09:06:24 am
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... the tiltable live view (I was tempted to get the 330 just to have that feature)
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=125273\")
For "tiltable" you need either the E-330 or the forthcoming high end "E-P1" model, as the E-510 LCD is fixed. There is now a very credible leak on a 27 page Olympus Europe internal slide-show presentation on what it calls the E-P1. This makes it clear that Olympus is aiming at the same market as the D200, 30D and their expected successors, the "D300" and "40D", not at the EOS-1DIII, EOS-1DsMkII, D2X or such, which means that us mainstream enthusiasts will probably be able to afford it!

The PDF might still be at [a href=\"http://www.fourthirdsphoto.com/vbb/E-P1.pdf]http://www.fourthirdsphoto.com/vbb/E-P1.pdf[/url] or you can read summaries at sites like http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp...essage=23801816 (http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=23801816)
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: Ray on June 29, 2007, 11:07:24 am
The introduction of image stabilisation is a big plus. What intrigues me is the new zoom lens that Olympus has announced. It's a 70-300 f4-5.6 to be available in October. The combination of E-510 and 70-300 zoom will be significantly lighter than a Canon 400D plus 100-400 IS zoom, yet the effective focal lengths in 35mm terms will be almost as great. (140-600 as opposed to 160-640 for the Canon.)

I'd be interested to see how IQ compares with these two set-ups. The dpreview review of the 10mp E-410 shows good resolution compared with the 400D, except for a bit of moire and except for poorer performance at high ISO, as one would expect with a smaller sensor.

However, it's a pity the new Zuiko zoom is not faster. You are not going to be able to compensate for lower ISO use with a wider aperture, but it shouldn't be difficult to beat the performance of the Canon 100-400 IS at f5.6.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: DarkPenguin on June 29, 2007, 11:15:09 am
I've no great reason to want this camera but I've had it (2 lens kit) in my shopping cart for days.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: Quentin on June 29, 2007, 11:58:01 am
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I've no great reason to want this camera but I've had it (2 lens kit) in my shopping cart for days.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=125593\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Tme to click on "buy"  

In camera mage stabiisation is a plus, and it works with macro lenses.  the only downside I have found with the 510 is limited dynamic range.  You'll get blown highlights if you are not careful to adjust exposure.  Rumour has it that the upcoming pro Olympus replacement for the E1 will have even more effective image stabilisation and some sort of HDR function to extend dynamic range.

Quentin

P.S. This is an interesting enough development in the 4/3 format to warrant a review, Michael.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: GLJ on July 01, 2007, 04:37:15 pm
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P.S. This is an interesting enough development in the 4/3 format to warrant a review, Michael.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=125606\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


Noooo... don't say that Q!

The 510 is a nice consumer camera, but asking MR to review it would be comparable to a long time large format user who was thinking of buying a Canon DSLR and writing a review on this 'new technology' he'd never come across before ..... and you give him a 300D to play with!

No. Michael did an ok review on the E1 (even though he didn't have enough of a chance to marvel at the non Canonesque lack of sensor dust, thwacky mirrors, lens vignetting and corner smearing at open apertures LOL) ... let him wait until he gets his grubby paws on the new E3 or E1-P or EP1 or whatever they call it :-)

G.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: DarkPenguin on July 01, 2007, 04:45:03 pm
Actually, I think I'd rather have the e-410.  The IS would be cool but I really like the size of the 410.

Quote
Tme to click on "buy"   

In camera mage stabiisation is a plus, and it works with macro lenses.  the only downside I have found with the 510 is limited dynamic range.  You'll get blown highlights if you are not careful to adjust exposure.  Rumour has it that the upcoming pro Olympus replacement for the E1 will have even more effective image stabilisation and some sort of HDR function to extend dynamic range.

Quentin

P.S. This is an interesting enough development in the 4/3 format to warrant a review, Michael.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=125606\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: BJL on July 02, 2007, 05:32:18 am
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P.S. This is an interesting enough development in the 4/3 format to warrant a review, Michael.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=125606\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I agree with GLJ: the forthcoming "E-P1" seems far better suited for a review by Michael, at least if what we read in the alleged internal presentation of Olympus Europa is close to the truth.

I am also very interested in hints of that "E-P1" having a new automated, in-camera method for expanding dynamic range by merging several frames into a "HDR" RAW file, especially if this can be done hand-held (thanks to IS). The hints are from the alleged internal presentation and a new Olympus patent.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: Quentin on July 02, 2007, 12:33:22 pm
Quote
I agree with GLJ: the forthcoming "E-P1" seems far better suited for a review by Michael, at least if what we read in the alleged internal presentation of Olympus Europa is close to the truth.

I am also very interested in hints of that "E-P1" having a new automated, in-camera method for expanding dynamic range by merging several frames into a "HDR" RAW file, especially if this can be done hand-held (thanks to IS). The hints are from the alleged internal presentation and a new Olympus patent.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=126032\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I don't think its a case of one or the other.  I doubt I'll buy a "E-P1" because I don't think 4/3 is ideally suited to the sort of subjects I'd shoot with "higher end" digital cameras or with large format film (but who knows?), but it is good at a range of stuff including macro and as a lightweight carry anywhere dslr.

I guess my point is I did not think I'd like the 510 as much as I do and I would be interested if Michael had a similar reaction to my own.

The other reason is I think the E-510 and E-410 might be a more important cameras for Olympus than the "EP-1" in terms of numbers sold and market acceptance of 4/3.

Quentin
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: PSA DC-9-30 on July 02, 2007, 06:15:39 pm
I'm curious to know what kind of weather / water resistance this camera has. For me, one big attraction of the Nikon D200 is its metal body and weather resistance. How does the 510 compare to the Nikon in these respects?
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: GLJ on July 03, 2007, 05:10:39 am
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I'm curious to know what kind of weather / water resistance this camera has. For me, one big attraction of the Nikon D200 is its metal body and weather resistance. How does the 510 compare to the Nikon in these respects?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=126126\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I would not want to treat the 510 any differently to say a Nikon D80. The D200 is in a different category. The E1 and the next pro body when coupled to the existing non consumer Zuiko digital lenses seem to typically offer considerably enhanced weathersealing, even over the D200.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: GLJ on July 03, 2007, 05:19:43 am
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I don't think its a case of one or the other.  I doubt I'll buy a "E-P1" because I don't think 4/3 is ideally suited to the sort of subjects I'd shoot with "higher end" digital cameras or with large format film (but who knows?), but it is good at a range of stuff including macro and as a lightweight carry anywhere dslr.

I guess my point is I did not think I'd like the 510 as much as I do and I would be interested if Michael had a similar reaction to my own.

The other reason is I think the E-510 and E-410 might be a more important cameras for Olympus than the "EP-1" in terms of numbers sold and market acceptance of 4/3.

Quentin
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=126084\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

A considered and sensible reply as ever. Stop immediately and go and take pictures of men wearing makup and dresses .... (and enter the Kodak challenge you slacker!)

I will be interested to see if the "I doubt I'll buy an E-P1" comment will stand the test of time if you find you are happy with the fourthirds IQ and when you finally get to fondle one. I don't find the E1 body alone THAT much bigger and heavier than the 510 (its the lenses that do it), however the ergonomics and sheer 'class' of that camera are in a different league. For a few ounces more, the new pro camera will offer everything the 510 will and a lot, lot more.

Right ... got to fix my eyeliner and pop my lipstick on ....


XX
G.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: Quentin on July 03, 2007, 03:58:18 pm
Quote
A considered and sensible reply as ever. Stop immediately and go and take pictures of men wearing makup and dresses .... (and enter the Kodak challenge you slacker!)

I will be interested to see if the "I doubt I'll buy an E-P1" comment will stand the test of time if you find you are happy with the fourthirds IQ and when you finally get to fondle one. I don't find the E1 body alone THAT much bigger and heavier than the 510 (its the lenses that do it), however the ergonomics and sheer 'class' of that camera are in a different league. For a few ounces more, the new pro camera will offer everything the 510 will and a lot, lot more.

Right ... got to fix my eyeliner and pop my lipstick on ....
XX
G.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=126197\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

You are such a tease, Gareth  

Quentin
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: BJL on July 04, 2007, 05:26:09 pm
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I guess my point is I did not think I'd like the 510 as much as I do and I would be interested if Michael had a similar reaction to my own.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=126084\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Perhaps you have a point: Michael is perhaps amongst those who expect that part of the trade-off with a smaller format should be a smaller, lighter kit (body with lens), but that previous 4/3 bodies like the E-1 and E-330 did not achieve this. However with recent E system bodies and kit lenses Olympus seems to be addressing this goal, with the E-510 and 14-42 easily the lightest DSLR kit offering in-camera stabilization, where by "in-camera" I include both the in-body and in-lens approaches. (And for those who do not care for in-camera stabilization, the E-410 kits are the lightest so far.)
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: John Sheehy on July 04, 2007, 09:49:55 pm
Quote
I didn't. Its possible its just less prone to dust, as there is not so much as a speck of dust so far. I don't plan on pouring dust in the front of the camera anytime soon, but a German mag did a comparative test where they did just that and the Olympus system worked better than "other brands"
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=124852\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I just tested my Canon XTi for dust today.  I last cleaned the sensor in December, and shooting an OOF white wall at f/29 today, I saw no specks or fibers, not even weak ones.

I would say the XTi system works, but your sensor must be free of lubricants.

Out of the factory, something was on or splashed on the sensor, but once I cleaned it thoroughly, nothing has stuck to the sensor.  I've taken about 15000 shots since December, changing lenses on the beach, in the wind in the city, and in the peak of pollen season.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: John Sheehy on July 04, 2007, 10:05:48 pm
Quote
My only concerns so far with the comparison images I've seen is that Olympus tends to blow highlights, implying a narrower dynamic range, but this may only be slight sensor sensitivity differences between it and the comparison model (usually a Canon 30D). I'm starting to think that straight comparisons with the exact same exposure settings may be misleading.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=125168\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

The way I've come to think about noise and sensitivity issues is that in any given camera and ISO, there are two distinct aspects; how much noise there is at various absolute exposure levels, and how far below RAW saturation the "noise floor" is (what the RAW DR is).  The former is most important to me at the camera's highest ISO, where I may be forced to under-expose or at least use a weak absolute exposure.  The latter is most important to me when shooting with lots of light at the lowest ISO, where I am mainly concerned with taking advantage of the DR and have no need for any specific absolute exposure level.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: PeterBCarter on July 14, 2007, 11:53:55 pm
Quote
I'm curious to know what kind of weather / water resistance this camera has. For me, one big attraction of the Nikon D200 is its metal body and weather resistance. How does the 510 compare to the Nikon in these respects?
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=126126\")

Well, I have the previous  E-500. I took the camera with me to Tweed Ontario this year, during the May-24 weekend. This is an 'adult camp ground' with lots of dune buggys, rock climbers and monster trucks. In short there was ample amounts of smoke, dust, mud and water. With many lens changes, not even any dust on the sensors. I saw a few with Canon and Nikon and were complaining about the level of dust. I noticed my Olympus was covered in dust when I returned. A simple surface clean and all was fine.


As far as quality, see for yourself...... [a href=\"http://tweed07.blindally.com]http://tweed07.blindally.com[/url]
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: BrianS on August 16, 2007, 12:27:32 am
More experienced photographers may not like this post since it lacks any sophisticated analysis, but less experienced users like myself need to know what they are getting in for.

I have had my E510 for over a month, and have been disappointed after moving up from my Canon A620 P&S.  The IQ isn’t noticeably better (just bigger pictures).  The Image Stability won’t compensate for my shaky hands.  I get large dark patches, or over exposure when compensating, compared to my friend’s xti.  The 14-42 kit lens is not very sharp, and the 40-150 is only sharp fully extended (150mm) – which is better than the other way around, for me.  Since the LiveView LCD won’t tilt, you have to crouch down to use it low, so it’s even less useful than the dark viewfinder.  Also, the shutter delays for a full second before clicking when using LiveView.   So, manual focusing is almost impossible in many conditions, and AF isn’t that dependable, especially in low light.

On the plus side: the body feels great, there’s every shooting option you could ask for, knobs and buttons are well placed (the OK button is a little soft), and of course, it’s a DSLR so you can upgrade the lenses.

This is not a bad camera, however, it left me disappointed in several important ways.  I expected better, after all the hype.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: Marsupilami on August 17, 2007, 02:39:47 pm
Quote
This is not a bad camera, however, it left me disappointed in several important ways.  I expected better, after all the hype.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=133552\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Seems like you have got a "Monday" camera, or an optic not perfect. I have bought the 510 + kit lenses for my wife and also for me when we are hiking and apart from many nice features I wish I had on my Canon 5D, I sometimes wonder if I have a faulty Canon camera or lens, because the picture quality comes so damn close in side by side comparisons. Certainly the 5D still has better DR and better high iso, also the AF is better, but the screen for example is better, more usable on the 510. So certainly not an replacement for my high end Canon gear, but for those walks, hikes, mountain bike tours and for cross country skiing it is an ideal companion. And the picture quality is good, at least good enough also to place good shots to my stock agencies (and these are major ones here in Europe, no microstock).
1100 gramms for the whole package for 28-300 mm incl 70 mm macro 2x lifesize. I can live with some limitations. One tip: try adobe bridge in CS3 for raw files, I get much better results than with the jpg (not sharper, but better tonalty).

Christian
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: BrianS on August 25, 2007, 01:41:11 am
I can’t stay with this post to answer any questions right away, but I wanted to post some of the quirky things that have happened with Olympus service.

In mid August I emailed Olympus service about image quality concerns.  After no reply for a week, I emailed them again, but got no reply.  Finally, after a lot of experimentation with my E510, I decided see about sending the camera in to be checked.  I made an 800 call and got a reference number, the needed forms, and was preparing to pack up the kit and send it off.  Suddenly, I got an email from Olympus service.  I expected it to be about sending in the camera, but no.  It was a letter about some posts I had made at various sites concerning the picture quality with the E510, including a poor rating on Amazon.com.  I was happy that they were actively seeking me out to determine what was wrong.  In response I sent them an email of explanation, and one of my best shots (along with a comparison picture from another camera).  Since Yahoo only lets you send a couple of photos at a time, I had to try and send my more typical (problematic) images in a separate email.  However, when I tried it I got this msg back.

The MessageLabs Content Control service has identified that an
email sent by you may contain inappropriate content
according to the policy rules established by either your organisation
or the intended recipient's organisation.
  The recipient address of the email was: -
 
    CustomerSupport@olympus.com

Sending a couple more pictures returned the same message.

The next day (this morning 8/24) I got this msg from them

Dear Brian,

What format are the image files are you attempting to email? How many? Are you trying to send them uncompressed or compressed?
 
Please email some unedited, uncompressed sample JPEG images showing what you are describing.
 
Regards,
Olympus Imaging America, Inc.

I replied that I tried sending the files in uncompressed JPEG and included the censor msg for them to see…  and I haven’t heard from them again.

These people seem really weird.  It may be an over reaction but I’m concerned that something might happen to my camera now, if I send it in.

I’m not looking for advice in this – only wanted to pass along my experiences.
Title: Olympus E-510
Post by: Quentin on August 25, 2007, 06:17:23 pm
My E-510 is sharp.  It does seem that there are a handful of problem units, as seems to happen with just about every camera manufacturer.

Quentin