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Monday, 26 May 2008

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I love the iPod photo.

pax / Ctein

"the "up" and "down" keys on the four-way controller, which on the E-3 currently are useless, simply duplicating the function of the "left" and "right" keys"

Er, no they don't. When you press "up" and "down" in playback mode, you jump ten pictures, while with "left" and "right" you move one by one. Not much of a difference, but a difference there is.

What I really miss is the ability to press Delete twice to erase a photo instead of this Delete > Up > Ok combination. And no, I don't want to enable Quick erase. It's too easy to make a mistake with that.

"What I really miss is the ability to press Delete twice to erase a photo instead of this Delete > Up > Ok combination. And no, I don't want to enable Quick erase."

Erlik, if you choose "Yes" as default in "Priority Set", you'll only have to press Delete > Ok.

"I'd love a camera the size of the Olympus E-420 but designed for a serious photographer."
Oiii!! I am serious about my work and I use a 410 ..........then I did a photo shoot a couple of years ago at a zoo with a XA while the rest were packing those huge C&Ns

"Oiii!! I am serious about my work and I use a 410 ..........then I did a photo shoot a couple of years ago at a zoo with a XA while the rest were packing those huge C&Ns"

Yeah, that's the spirit!

But: While you can do serious work (what this exactly means might be subject to a seperate discussion) with any camera that fits your needs, Eamon probably meant that he wants a camera the size of the 4xx but with a big viewfinder and a set of controls at least like the 510. The 4xx is undoubtely crippled in important aspects regarding usability just for product policy/placing.

From one former photo equipment reviewer to another, what I appreciate most about Eamon's review of the Olympus E-3 is that he concentrates on what matters most to the experienced photographer. It's not the specs or the bells and whistles, it's the little design nuances that determine whether a camera is a pleasure to use or an occasional pain-in-the-ass. One should keep in mind, however, that all reviews are personal and individual. What annoys the reviewer may not bother you, and vice-versa. But at least with Eamon's style of review you get a human perspective, not just a lot of charts and graphs far-removed from practical picture taking. (Oh, and speaking of picture taking, slammin' photos dude!)

"erlik:

When you press "up" and "down" in playback mode, you jump ten pictures, while with "left" and "right" you move one by one."

Thanks for the correction, erlik. (I wonder if testing it with only 3 or 4 images on the CF card led me astray?)

I note that on my E-1, the thumbwheel allows one to move backwards and forwards among the various display views, including toggling quickly between histogram and highlight warning -- in other words, Olympus did that part right in 2003 and made a step backwards in 2007. Weird. But, again, probably fixable in firmware, if they see fit. Hope they do.

You CAN enable instant delete in E3, the same mistake was made by dpreview.com and then corrected after hints from readers.

Also, one of the review modes shows colour histograms and blown highlight warning on the same screen, so you don't have to switch modes (OK, the view is a bit cramped on the 2.5 inch screen).

It's true that the D300 has the ISO button up on the left. But once you press the button, you can use the command wheel to adjust the ISO setting. To me, this is exactly the way it should be and the behavior is consistent across various adjustments: hold a button down with your left finger, adjust with the wheel using right thumb. Makes it simple to adjust without moving the camera from your eye.

I agreed wholeheartedly with Gordon’s comment above. If you want charts, graphs and comparisons, Digital Photography Review does a fine job. That said, what I really want to know is how the camera feels in your hands as you use it. What works and what doesn’t. What pleases and what irritates. What’s useful and what’s not. There are a lot of websites devoted to the big two and their big guns. TOP excels at covering Pentax and Olympus, both manufacturers of excellent lightweight equipment that won’t break your back or your budget.

Eamon, yes, that's certainly the reason.

We should clamour for various things they had before and removed on E-3. And I really have no idea why they did some things. For instance, on E-3 you zoom in and out with _both_ wheels. They could have put in the combination to press down Info and then switch between the modes with one of the wheels. OTOH, I rarely switch between view modes, so it's not a big problem.

BTW, Milo, thanks. I didn't know that. I'd still like the double press instead of using two hands.

Very nice photos! i kinda liked the ipod wall.

I know some people enjoy the very technically oriented reviews like the recent series on the Pentax K20D, but for me, this is a much more enjoyable and informative read. Thanks for offering TOP readers both kinds of review styles, Mike!

"I'd love a camera the size of the Olympus E-420 but designed for a serious photographer."

Unfortunately, all the camera makers seem to associate small with inexpensive and "entry level." I'd love to see a high end compact DSLR from Olympus, along with some compact, high end prime lenses.

" I'd love a camera the size of the Olympus E-420 but designed for a serious photographer. "

Eamon, you really can't repeat this enough times. I am with you on this! Oh my god would I love this.

- Raist

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