Olympus E-510
Review Date : Mon, 3 Sep 2007
Author : WDC Team
The 10-megapixel Olympus E-510 replaces the E-500 with improvements to the Live View and dust removal systems.
| Pros: | Noise control, Dual mode, image stabilisation, live view LCD mode, Supersonic Wave Filter. |
|---|---|
| Cons: | SHQ JPEG burst depth slightly limited, limited dynamic range. |
The E-510 is an update to the E-500 rather than a completely ‘new’ camera. But this hasn’t prevented it from seeing some pretty radical changes, and it appears to have benefited from the designer’s knife in numerous areas.
Arguably, the original E-500 was the first ‘proper’ Four Thirds camera for the enthusiast, even though it was actually the third DSLR to join the Olympus range. When it arrived, we had already seen the Olympus E-1, but that came at a price that few could justify. And then there was the E-300, which, though billed as ‘for the hobbyist’, didn’t deliver in either looks or performance.
Yet when the E-500 arrived it set the standard for Four Thirds cameras. Combining an affordable price, decent performance and the look and feel of a ‘traditional’ DSLR, it was perhaps the saviour of an E-System that appeared to be losing its direction. Does its successor follow in its footsteps or is it but a further footnote in the potted history of Olympus DSLRs?
Verdict
In-camera image stabilisation and dust-reduction figure prominently on most enthusiasts? DSLR shopping lists, but all too often we see one without the other, or we get a weak compromise. With the Olympus E-510 we?re getting both of these things and, more importantly, they both work. On top of that, you?re able to turn the rear LCD on and use the camera like a compact (albeit with manual focus), which is exactly what you want for macro, still-life and landscape photography. Throw in a high-resolution 10MP sensor that delivers largely noise-free images, and all the secondary features you?re ever likely to need and there?s no doubt in my mind that the E-510 is currently the definitive Four Thirds DSLR. <a href="http://www.olympus.co.uk" target="_blank">www.olympus.co.uk</a>
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