Digital SLR

Olympus is targeting professional photographers and 'advanced enthusiasts' with its E-3 DSLR model, which replaces the four-year-old E-1, the world's first Four Thirds system DSLR. However, the promise of smaller, lighter cameras claimed for the Four Thirds system is not delivered in the E-3, which is one of the heaviest DSLR bodies in the under-$5000 category. (Only Nikon's D200 and D300 weigh more.) But size and weight aren't the only factors influencing camera choice and the E-3 has plenty to recommend it.

For starters, it's very well built, with a robust magnesium-alloy body that is manufacturer using the 'Thixomold' process, which produced lighter and stronger mouldings than die-casting. The E-3's body is splashproof and has dust-resistant sealing, making it usable for outdoor photography in testing conditions. Its shutter mechanism has been tested to 150,000 cycles, putting it into the 'professional' category. Olympus provides no details of the release time lag but, in use, the camera has a similar 'feel' to the EOS 40D, Nikon D300 and Sony A700, which have similar price tags (but it's not nearly as responsive as Nikon's D3).


Front view of the E-3 fitted with the optional HLD-4 Power Grip.

The articulating LCD monitor on the new camera isn't the first use of vari-angle displays on a DSLR. (That honour goes to the now-superseded E-330 model.) With a 180 degree horizontal swing and 360 degree rotation, it adds a new dimension to the live viewing capabilities of the monitor (see below). Olympus claims a 176-degree viewing angle for this screen, which we'd support – but only just! Readability was similar to the monitors on competing DSLRs.


Rear view of the E-3 with the LCD monitor reversed for use.

The memory card compartment has dual slots, one for CompactFlash cards (or Microdrives) and the other for xD-Picture Cards. The CF slot is UDMA-compatible, allowing the latest CF cards with fast write speeds to be used to advantage. A rotating lock prevents the compartment from being opened accidentally. Custom Menu 2 lets you select which card to use when both CF and xD cards are loaded. Data can be copied from one card to the other and a second card can be used to back up the main card used for recording. But there's no provision for recording raw files on one card and JPEGs on the other.

Olympus was the pioneer in sensor dust reduction systems and its Super Sonic Wave Filter (SSWF) technology is included in the E-3, where it is linked with a sensor-shift image stabiliser (see Sensor and Image Processing below). The review camera was supplied with the new Zuiko Digital 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD lens, which was released at the same time as the camera body. A separate review of this lens is published on this website (INSERT LINK).

Controls
Despite its abundance of button controls, the E-3's control layout is functional and straightforward to use – although it takes a while to learn what all the buttons do and develop your preferred way to access key controls – because there are usually several options. One item users of other DSLR brands may miss is a mode dial. Although the camera provides the standard P, A, S and M shooting modes, to access them you must press a button left of the pentaprism housing then rotate one of the control dials. The selected mode can be seen on the data display LCD, on the monitor display and in the viewfinder.

Two additional modes have been added to the standard settings: Bulb and My Mode. The former covers long exposures and allows the shutter to remain open while the release is held down (either manually or via a remote control). You can also specify an exposure time and lock the focus during manual shooting in sub-menus in this mode. My Mode lets photographers register two different combinations of camera settings for quick access. Most of the camera's controls and adjustments are covered.


Top view showing the data LCD, flash hot-shoe and button controls.

The data LCD on the top panel is not over-large and can be difficult to read at times. It has status indicators for all key camera functions and also shows the number of storable pictures remaining for the selected memory card. The rear panel LCD is similar to those on other Olympus DSLRs and also provides a status display that is much easier to read and can be used to access camera settings, with the aid of the control dials and arrow pad.


The data display on the E-3's LCD monitor. Photographers can adjust camera functiosn directly from this display, using the control dials and arrow pad.

The arrow pad's buttons are large and sit proud of the camera body, making them easy to use. Below the arrow pad lie the IS (image stabiliser) button and power on/off lever. Above it is the quick review button. A tiny Function button is positioned just above the thumb rest. Photographers can assign a function, such as white balance, focus or shooting mode or file format to this button for quick adjustment of settings. 

The E-3's viewfinder is large and bright with a 20mm eye-point and 1.15x magnification that allow comfortable use with glasses. It also displays the full view 'seen' by the sensor. The non-interchangeable focusing screen displays the AF target area with the focus points superimposed. The spot metering area is indicated in the centre of the frame.


The AF sensor pattern with the spot metering area in the centre of the frame.

Below the screen is a data display showing the current settings for aperture, shutter speed, flash, metering mode, shooting mode, number of storable pictures, IS status, ISO and battery status plus indicators for flash, AF confirmation, flash intensity control, white balance, exposure level, bracketing and ISO  sensitivity value. The 49-zone metering sensor uses an active pixel method of light detection in low light and a hybrid metering system with an integrating amplifier in bright light. It can, therefore, cover a wide subject brightness range and provide accurate exposures. A new algorithm that plots the relationship between AF focused points and AF metered values improves metering accuracy.

Metering options on the E-3 are wider than most DSLRs provide and include Digital ESP (multi-pattern), centre-weighted averaging and three types of spot metering: standard spot and highlight and shadow control. The extra modes can be used to prevent under-exposure in bright conditions and over-exposure in dark conditions, respectively. Exposure compensation of +/- 5 EV in increments of 0.3, 0.5 or 0.7 EV is also available. Bracketing options are pretty standard, with AE, ISO, WB and flash bracketing provided.

Three focusing modes are provided: single AF, continuous AF and manual focusing and users can also couple the S-AF or C-AF mode with manual focusing in order to fine-tune focus settings with the focus ring on the lens. Three AF area settings allow photographers to choose between using all the AF sensors as 'targets' and using a cluster of five sensors or a single sensor. In the last two modes, the selected target can be moved vertically and horizontally with the arrow pad buttons.


The E-3's abundant Custom mode settings are accessed via the menu system.

Unlike many professional DSLRs (but like its main competitors), the E-3 has a pop-up TTL flash with the standard auto, red-eye reduction and slow-synch modes. Red-eye reduction involves pre-flashing to contract the subject's pupils. No-in-camera correction processing is provided. Both first- and second-curtain settings are provided for slow synch flash and you can adjust the shutter speed setting to provide longer exposures. There's also a fill flash setting and +/- 3EV of flash output adjustment.

The built-in flash can also be used to wirelessly control the new FL-50R and FL-36R accessory flash units. Up to three groups of flashes can be triggered using the new RC Data Transfer System provided in the E-3. This gives photographers a high degree of control for studio photography. Super FP flashing at 1/8000 second is also possible with the FL-50R and FL-36R flashes, a useful feature for photographers who wish to use flash fill for daylight shots while shooting rapid action or controlling depth of field.

Powering all functions is the BLM-1 lithium-ion rechargeable battery, which takes approximately five hours to fully charge. A fully-charged battery can support approximately 610 shots of which half use flash and framing is done with the optical viewfinder. Using live view will consume more power but Olympus does not provide details of how much more.

Sensor and Image Processing
Sensibly, Olympus has kept the resolution of the E-3's image sensor at 10-megapixels, although it's a different chip from the E-410 and E-510 sensors, with a wider dynamic range and faster data transfer speed. The sensor itself is a High Speed Live MOS chip developed by Panasonic to Four Thirds system specifications.

With a maximum image size of 3648 x 2736 pixels, each photosite measures approximately 4.4 microns square, which is smaller than the photosites on competing DSLRs with larger 'APS-C' sized imagers, regardless of whether their resolution is 10 or 12 megapixels. For reference, photosites on Canon's EOS 40D sensor measure 5.6 microns square, while the Nikon D300 and Sony DSLR-A700 have 5.3 microns square photosites. (One square micron makes a significant difference in photon-capturing capabilities.)

Although offering the same resolution as the E-410 and E-510 cameras, the sensor chip in the E-3 offers higher performance with a wider dynamic range and faster data transfer speeds than its cheaper siblings. The chip itself is mounted in the same assembly unit as the SSWF and image stabiliser system. The same drive motor is used to move both the sensor and the SSWF and the sensor can be moved very quickly and precisely.

Three separate processing chips handle different aspects of image processing. One chip is the Olympus TruePic III image processing engine, which has been specially adapted for the new DSLR camera to support faster data reading speeds for high-speed sequential shooting. Three new image processing technologies have been included:
- Advanced Noise Filter III Technology, which separates image data from noise to optimise image reproduction while suppressing noise.
- Advanced Digital Reproduction Technology, which detects and reproduces edges accurately and eliminates false colours.
- Advanced Proper Gamma III Technology to provide independent control over luminance and chrominance (brightness and colour) signals and deliver better colour and tonal reproduction, particularly with pale colors.

As well as offering a top shutter speed of 1/8000 second, the E-3 can capture JPEGs at five frames/second to the limit of memory capacity with the High-speed setting. In ORF.RAW mode, the buffer can hold at least 17 frames before the camera pauses for data processing. When the Low speed setting is used, photographers can select from four frame rates covering one, two, three or four frames/second.

A second processor controls the shake detection mechanism, which relies on high-precision gyro sensors that are mounted in the camera body. Sophisticated algorithms are used for the anti-shake stabilisation system, which Olympus claims can provide up to five stops of exposure advantage with the Zuiko Digital 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD lens at a focal length of 60mm. (After using the camera with this lens, we'd say a more realistic estimation would be four steps, which is pretty good for the technology.)

The third processor controls the autofocusing system, which is state-of-the-art and very fast and accurate. The AF sensor includes an array of 11 crossed AF points, each of which has two horizontal and vertical lines to improve accuracy. The arrangement of points in the array was derived from an analysis the positions of the main subjects in thousands of pictures as well as input from professional photographers. Dual sensing arrays on each axis are arranged in a half-pitch shifted pattern that allows the sensor to detect contrast in both directions. This system prevents patterns in subject from interfering with AF operation.

Coupled to the AF sensor is a data processing chip that can handle information from all AF targets simultaneously. Olympus claims distance-measuring algorithms, processing speeds and object capturing and tracking performance are all improved in the new system. Pixel addition technology has been used to expand the distance-measuring brightness range from -2 to +19 EV.

All recent DSLRs we've reviewed have included systems for 'tweaking' the image as it is processed – and the E-3 is no exception. The Picture Mode setting in the shooting menu offers six settings: Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait, Monotone and Custom. They're largely self-explanatory, although the Monotone mode contains sub-menus with four filter 'colours', Yellow, Red, Orange and Green which simulate the effect of corresponding filters with B&W film. Sepia, Blue, Purple or Green tone colour effects are also available for Monotone. In the Custom mode users can select one Picture Mode and adjust the contrast, sharpness, saturation and B&W filter parameters then register the result as a new Picture Mode.

Image File Options
The E-3 supports lossless RAW data compression, which reduces the size of the raw files by 65%.  Image files can be saved in either ORF.RAW or JPEG format or both simultaneously (on the same memory card). Seven file sizes are provided for JPEG images, along with four compression levels.


The E-3's menu screen showing the image size selections.

Typical file sizes and compression ratios are provided in the table below.

As with the E-410 and E-510 models, in-camera raw file development is provided. This allows photographers who shoot raw files to convert them into JPEGs and save them separately on the memory card. It's convenient in situations where you require a JPEG for printing or emailing and don't have a computer with raw file conversion software close at hand. But it produces JPEGs with similar characteristics to those provided by shooting in JPEG format. TIFF capture is not provided so if you want 16-bit TIFF files, you must process the ORF.RAW files on your PC.

Live Viewing
Olympus pioneered live viewing in DSLR cameras in its E-330 model, which was announced in January 2006. However, whereas the E-330 used a secondary CCD chip in addition to its Live MOS imager to provide live viewing, more recent cameras have relied on a single Live MOS chip. The flip-out, vari-angle LCD provides a more flexible platform for live viewing than the fixed monitors on the other Olympus DSLRs, although the E-3's live view functions are essentially the same as the E-510. However, you see more AF points on the E-3's view.

By default, live view is accessed via the display button, although previewing can be assigned to the Fn. button if you need to swap from normal to live view quickly. The Olympus system lets you preview the exposure, depth of field and white balance on the monitor screen and see how the final shot will appear. Sections of the frame can be magnified by five, seven or 10 times for focus checking and to check highlight and shadow reproduction.

You can also choose from three shooting aids (designated 'focusing screens' by Olympus) without switching the physical focusing screen. They include a grid, golden section guidelines or a scale. Five display options are provided: info., info. + ruled lines, info. + histogram, enlarged display and information off. A luminance sensor just above the LCD detects ambient brightness levels and adjusts the display accordingly and you can brighten the monitor with the Live View Boost function to provide a clearer view.

Focusing in live view mode takes place when you press the AEL/AFL button or as the shutter is pressed. Pressing the shutter button captures the picture. However, as with all live viewing systems a significant capture lag occurs. To minimise this delay, select Release Priority S or C in Custom Menu 1. This will stop the camera from re-focusing as the shutter button is pressed. However some delay will still occur as exposure levels are re-checked.

Playback
Playback options are similar to the E-410 and E-510 and include full-frame display, playback zoom (up to 10x), four, nine, 16 and 25 frame thumbnail index views and slideshow play. Pressing the Info button below the monitor activates a Light Box display where photographers can compare two sequential images side-by-side. You can also access a Calendar display that shows images shot on particular days, with the first shot of the day used as the thumbnail.


Playback zoom.


Image playback with data overlaid.


Image playback with data and RGB histogram.


Image playback with brightness histogram.

Users can rotate images, protect the from deletion and delete shots one-by-one or in groups. DPOF tagging can also be applied. Image files can also be displayed on a TV screen via the supplied video cable. As far as we are able to determine, HDMI output to HDTV displays is not supported. Nor is wireless file transfer or GPS data tagging.

Software
Bundled with the E-3 is comprehensive user manual plus a CD-ROM containing Olympus Master 2, a slightly more advanced version of the application that is supplied with all Olympus digicams. We've covered this software in the review of the E-410. The more sophisticated image editor/raw file converter, Olympus Studio 2, is provided as a trial version on the disk. It sells for $119.95. However, since raw files from the E-3 can be opened in the latest version of Adobe's Camera Raw and Lightroom, which work with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, we can't see why anyone would pay extra for a product we have found to be inferior in ease of use, flexibility and performance

Performance
Pictures taken with the test camera were sharp and colourful, with the extended dynamic range you would expect from a sophisticated DSLR camera. Autofocusing was very fast and accurate and the lens showed little tendency to hunt in low light levels. Exposures taken with the test camera were consistently accurate across a wide range of subjects. In bright sunlight, both highlight and shadow details were recorded with minimal blow-out in brightly-lit areas and little in the way of shadow noise.

Colours were accurately recorded with the default Natural Picture Mode setting, although saturation was slightly elevated for a DSLR. Imatest confirmed our subjective assessments and showed colour accuracy to be good, with only minor shifts in skin hues, olive green and blue-greens plus slightly boosted saturation in reds.

Resolution was as you would expect from a DSLR of this calibre, although Imatest showed some differences between centre and edge resolution that suggest a slight edge softening. Contre-jour shots showed minimal flare. These topics are covered in more detail in the review of the Zuiko Digital 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD lens. (LINK TO BE INSERTED)

Lateral chromatic aberration was low, although not in the 'insignificant' category. Coloured fringing could only be detected when test shots were enlarged by 200%. This also revealed the slight edge softening produced by the lens.


Traces of coloured fringing and slight edge softening can be seen when images are enlarged 200%.

White balance performance was unimpressive as the auto setting failed to correct the inherent casts in either incandescent or fluorescent lighting, while the pre-sets over-corrected slightly. In each case, it was possible to achieve neutral colour rendition with the manual white balance control and the white balance adjustments provided. However, correction of all colour casts was easily accomplished in editing software and when raw files were converted to TIFF or JPEG files.

Low light performance was very good for short exposures with flash at ISO settings up to 1600, where image noise became apparent. We found a relatively small increase in granularity at ISO 3200, although shots were noticeably blotchy. Resolution declined only slightly as sensitivity was increased and our Imatest assessments showed it to be acceptably high at ISO 3200. The graph below plots ISO against centre resolution in line widths/pixel height across the E-3's sensitivity range.

For long exposures, the situation was quite different. Although 30-second exposures taken with ISO settings up to 400 were relatively noise-free, shots became increasingly dotted with stuck pixels from that point on. Applying noise reduction processing with the noise filter set to high eliminated most of the stuck pixels. However, the granular appearance of the shot remained from ISO 1600. Shots taken at ISO 3200 were effectively unusable.

Flash performance was excellent and exposures were evenly balanced throughout the ISO range. The test camera's flash was capable of illuminating an average-sized room at ISO 100 and little noise was visible in shots up to ISO 1600. The continuous shooting mode performed to specifications and the camera's exposure and focusing systems delivered sharp, well-exposed shots in our burst mode tests.

The test camera took less than 1.5 seconds to power up ready for shooting. We measured an average capture lag of 0.1 seconds, which was reduced to instantaneous capture with pre-focusing. The continuous shooting mode recorded high-resolution JPEGs at the specified five frames/second and ORF.RAW files at one shot every 0.3 seconds. The test camera showed one of the fastest data transfer speeds we've encountered thus far. Details can be seen in the table below.

Conclusion
Many photographers have had great hopes for the Four Thirds system which, when it was introduced promised smaller, designed-for-digital DSLR cameras. However, the E-3 is an anomaly we find difficult to explain because it's the second heaviest camera in the under-$5000 sector of the market. If you're looking for a compact DSLR that is built to professional standards and offers good performance, the E-3 will be a good choice. On the plus side, it's a great partner for some of the heavier lenses in the Olympus stable. However, in comparison with Canon's EOS 5D, which has the same body weight but contains a sensor double the size of the E-3's, it's at a distinct disadvantage.  

Image sensor: 17.3 x 13.0 mm  (Four Thirds type) Live MOS with 11.8 million photosites (10.1 megapixels effective)
Lens mount: Four Thirds system
Focal length crop factor: 2x
Image formats: ORF.RAW, JPEG (Exif 2.2), RAW+JPEG
Image Sizes:  RAW: 3648 x 2736; JPEG: 3648 x 2736, 3200 x 2400, 2560 x 1920, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480
Image Stabilisation: Sensor-shift system (linked with SSWF)
Dust removal: Super-Sonic Wave Filter (SSWF)
Shutter speed range: 1/8000 to 60 sec plus Bulb; X-synch at 1/250 sec.
Exposure Compensation: +/- 5 EV in increments of 0.3, 0.5 or 0.7 EV
Self-timer: 2 or 12 sec delay
Focus system: TTL phase-contrast detection with 11 points full-twin-cross
Focus modes: Single-shot, Continuous AF, Manual focusing
Exposure metering: TTL full-aperture metering; Digital ESP metering with 49-segment sensor, Centre-weighted and Spot metering; Spot with highlight/shadow control
Shooting modes: Program AE (with program shift), Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, Manual, Bulb, My Mode 1 & 2
Picture Style/Control settings: Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait, Monotone, Custom
Colour space options: sRGB, Adobe RGB
ISO range: ISO 100- 3200 in 1/3 or 1EV steps
White balance: Auto, Preset (8 settings 3000K to 7500K), One Touch, Custom; adjustable across +/- 7 steps in R-B, G-M axes
Flash: TTL-auto pop-up flash with auto/manual controls; hot-shoe for external flash units; x-synch attachment.
Flash exposure adjustment: +/- 3EV in 1/3EV steps
Sequence shooting: 5 fps max.
Storage Media: Dual slot: CF Type I, II and xD-Picture Card
Viewfinder: Eye-level reflex; 100% frame coverage; 1.15x magnification; 20mm eye relief
LCD monitor: 2.5-inch flexible-angle LCD, 230,000 pixels
Live View modes: With/without info. display; up to 10x magnification
Data LCD:  Yes
Playback functions: Full frame, thumbnail (4, 9, 16 or 25 frames), zoom (2x-14x), calendar, slideshow, histogram, shooting data, highlight/shadow warnings, auto image rotation
Interface terminals: USB 2.0 Hi-speed, Video Out (PAL/NTSC)
Power supply: BLM-1 lithium-ion rechargeable
Dimensions (wxhxd): 142.5 x 116.5 x 74.5 mm
Weight: 810 grams (body only)