The Olympus EVOLT 500 is the best representative of a line of amazing DSLRs which have the potential to unseat Nikon and Canon as the premier market leaders. The E500 is simply loaded with features, but let me point out why you need to buy this right now.
1. Simple controls. The E500 has a great design philosophy: the standard metaphor for doing anything on this camera is ‘press a button and rotate the control wheel’. Controls such as ISO, WB, AF and metering are mounted on the 4-way key located on the right of the large 2.5’’ screen. I prefer to maintain Single AF, unless, of course, I am photographing something moving really fast, like birds. I keep the screen switched off to conserve battery; every time I activate one of the 4-way keys, like ISO, the screen lights up with only the ISO displayed. Very efficient.
2. Fast and efficient AF. People are known to crib about just 3 AF points, but I don’t see why. If I am ever photographing under really tricky light conditions, I tend to use spot metering with the central AF point. Sure, the EOS30D has 9 AF points, but it weighs a tonne and costs as much as a Ferrari. The continuous AF is quite nice, but beware: don’t use it when you don’t need to. I was once photographing turtles in a marsh, and my AF kept throwing me off, it was only later that I realized that at maximum focal length, continuous AF can be easily fooled by surrounding reeds which are practically invisible to you (at 140 mm).
3. Easy metering. You can under/over expose to within 0.3 stops (or EVs). This is easily accomplished by holding down the exposure compensation button and rotating the wheel. You can also change the step size in metering to 0.7 stops or 1 stop.
4. The screen is nice and bright, and can spew out much more data than you need. Fortunately, it also has a basic mode, with only essential mode data displayed. My favourite mode for the screen is to keep it off. Saves battery power.
5. The menu is much more readable than on, say the Rebel Tx. I sometimes need to switch to monochrome, and this is easily done. I would have liked a hotkey for this, but well..
6. Small viewfinder. Apparently Olympus sells an eyecup magnifier. Why can’t they include it in the kit? Oh, profits..
7. Reasonably fast operations. This is not a professional camera. Don’t expect EOS30D or D200 level work, but there is no shutter lag, and as I found out during a dolphin show, the speed factor is going to be your reflexes and not that of the camera.
8. Excellent battery. Takes forever to charge, though. Good for 500 pictures, which is about what you can fit into a 2GB CF card. Remember to switch off the screen.
9. The onboard flash is awful. But all onboard flashes are awful, so nothing new there. I always shoot in ambient light anyway.
10. Kit lenses. The Zuiko lens lineup is truly impressive, and very costly too. I would like the 18-180 mm lens to be a little cheaper. I really hate it when I am shooting people pictures with the 40-150 mm outside in the street, and then I want to take pictures of buildings and then I have to go to a Starbucks and switch to the 14-45 lens. The 18-180 mm would be the perfect walkabout lens, except that it is rather costly. Oh, it would be soooo nice if the Sigma 70-300 mm lens was available on a 4/3rd mount. Hey, people at Sigma, Tamron, Tokina.. listen up… we need some decent third party 4/3rd mount lenses… please?
11. Ok, bad points. There should be a DC power connection and adapter for transferring pictures, or displaying them on a TV.
12. Really bad point. USB 1.1!!!!! What the bleep???? Pictures take FOREVER AND AN HOUR to transfer. I could finish my PhD by the time the contents of a 2 GB card make their way to my computer. Well, not really, otherwise I would have graduated….
Summary: this is a great camera with an good pedigree and an ever expanding range of lenses and upgrades available. I recommend it without hesitation. It delivers the best value for money.
1. Simple controls. The E500 has a great design philosophy: the standard metaphor for doing anything on this camera is ‘press a button and rotate the control wheel’. Controls such as ISO, WB, AF and metering are mounted on the 4-way key located on the right of the large 2.5’’ screen. I prefer to maintain Single AF, unless, of course, I am photographing something moving really fast, like birds. I keep the screen switched off to conserve battery; every time I activate one of the 4-way keys, like ISO, the screen lights up with only the ISO displayed. Very efficient.
2. Fast and efficient AF. People are known to crib about just 3 AF points, but I don’t see why. If I am ever photographing under really tricky light conditions, I tend to use spot metering with the central AF point. Sure, the EOS30D has 9 AF points, but it weighs a tonne and costs as much as a Ferrari. The continuous AF is quite nice, but beware: don’t use it when you don’t need to. I was once photographing turtles in a marsh, and my AF kept throwing me off, it was only later that I realized that at maximum focal length, continuous AF can be easily fooled by surrounding reeds which are practically invisible to you (at 140 mm).
3. Easy metering. You can under/over expose to within 0.3 stops (or EVs). This is easily accomplished by holding down the exposure compensation button and rotating the wheel. You can also change the step size in metering to 0.7 stops or 1 stop.
4. The screen is nice and bright, and can spew out much more data than you need. Fortunately, it also has a basic mode, with only essential mode data displayed. My favourite mode for the screen is to keep it off. Saves battery power.
5. The menu is much more readable than on, say the Rebel Tx. I sometimes need to switch to monochrome, and this is easily done. I would have liked a hotkey for this, but well..
6. Small viewfinder. Apparently Olympus sells an eyecup magnifier. Why can’t they include it in the kit? Oh, profits..
7. Reasonably fast operations. This is not a professional camera. Don’t expect EOS30D or D200 level work, but there is no shutter lag, and as I found out during a dolphin show, the speed factor is going to be your reflexes and not that of the camera.
8. Excellent battery. Takes forever to charge, though. Good for 500 pictures, which is about what you can fit into a 2GB CF card. Remember to switch off the screen.
9. The onboard flash is awful. But all onboard flashes are awful, so nothing new there. I always shoot in ambient light anyway.
10. Kit lenses. The Zuiko lens lineup is truly impressive, and very costly too. I would like the 18-180 mm lens to be a little cheaper. I really hate it when I am shooting people pictures with the 40-150 mm outside in the street, and then I want to take pictures of buildings and then I have to go to a Starbucks and switch to the 14-45 lens. The 18-180 mm would be the perfect walkabout lens, except that it is rather costly. Oh, it would be soooo nice if the Sigma 70-300 mm lens was available on a 4/3rd mount. Hey, people at Sigma, Tamron, Tokina.. listen up… we need some decent third party 4/3rd mount lenses… please?
11. Ok, bad points. There should be a DC power connection and adapter for transferring pictures, or displaying them on a TV.
12. Really bad point. USB 1.1!!!!! What the bleep???? Pictures take FOREVER AND AN HOUR to transfer. I could finish my PhD by the time the contents of a 2 GB card make their way to my computer. Well, not really, otherwise I would have graduated….
Summary: this is a great camera with an good pedigree and an ever expanding range of lenses and upgrades available. I recommend it without hesitation. It delivers the best value for money.
2 comments:
Is this the camera you have ?
yep
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