My Oly - I'm In Love

Got a chance to test shoot the new Olympus E-3 this evening. I mainly wanted to feel the camera in hand and play with the controls to see how intuative they are. Also, 2 concerns for my style of shooting are Image Stabilization and decent 1600 and 3200ISO PRINT quality (I sell prints so I don't care what they look like on a monitor).

THIS ISN'T/WASN'T A TECHNICAL TEST. I don't care about all of the details or benchmarks - - - I just wanted to see results that were satisfying to me, for my work. 

I fell in love instantly with the feel in my hand. The E3 sample was mated with the new and impressive 12 to 60mm f2.8-4 ultrsasonic lens (24mm to 120mm in 35mm film format). It was perfectly balanced in my smallish hands and amazingly felt very light compared to my D200 - even though reviews show it as heavier. As it was when I tried the E1 years ago, I could swing my arm all over the place and hang iot by my side and never feel like I was losing the grip. This sample did not have the battery pack. Auto Focusing was incredibly quick.

Here are a few samples using the camera in IS mode and higher ISO settings. It was evening and the room I had to work in was gaudy colouring as a result of the carbon arc lighting the camera store uses. These images except where noted, are straight out of the camera without cropping, levels, sharpening or any processing. They could all be improved slightly with post processing, however I just printed out the series of 1600 and 3200 ISO images AS-IS on 8x10 glossy paper using my Epson 1400 - and the 1600ISO image of the sales lady is stunning, while the 3200ISO shot of the camera bags is incredible considering it is 3200 ISO.

This was the first shot I took when I went in - the camera was set at 800ISO. That was the perfect place for me to start as my standard general purpose ISO when I shot film wsa 800 Fujicolor:



I asked the sales clerk if she minded if I took a shot of her to see the skin tones. Keep in mind that I new nothing about the camera and had little time to play - and so did not change many of the defaults it was set at including Auto WB which accounts for the ruddier skin under the carbon arc lighting - plus the fact that I think the Auto Exposure was trying to retain detail in the bright white signs in behind her. Still not bad though when I printed it out at 8x10. Could easily be adjusted in PS. This was shot at 1600ISO:



This was the true test - - - 3200ISO. Not that I expect noiseless images or grainy deep shadows like the new Nikons exhibit - but I know what the 3200 setting on my D200 looks like and besides the excessive noise, there is a loss of detail and colour. If these camera bags could maintain their texture and colour, I was going to be happy. In the 8x10 glossy print, the detail is amazing and the colour is just fine - - - and this from a file straight from the camera without tweaks. Sure if I look hard enough I can see some noise in the blurred out background - but the print is perfectly usable and probably salable. I'm sure a dose of Neat Image could easily cure any noise if I chose to use it.



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This shot to see the efrfect of image stabilization, was the only one where I free handed the camera in a normal fashion as I would at a wedding. I was standing in the middle of an aisle turned and shot as steadily as I could. Most of the other shots I was able to set my stance for stability or lean against a counter or wall. Equivalent 90mm focal length at 1/15'th of a second isn't too bad I don't think.:



Just before leaving I gave a quick jab at Live View, setting the camera on the counter and using the LCD screen to compose and set the WB. It's pretty cool when you can see the white balance change on the screen before you take the shot. Made it very easy to select the right setting for the light, just by scrolling through the presets and stopping at the one that looked best. It does not function like a point and shoot LCD live view does - - - it is great for shots where you can take the time for the second or two of delay that is required. That doesn't bother me either. I will be using it for the impossible shots that I used to be able to take while laying donw on the floor or climbing up on narrow trespaces when I was young - room shots, cake shots, macro shots where the off axis viewfinder puts the screen right where I want it:



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I am a die hard Olympus guy since the early 1980's - who has been shooting Nikon out of necessity (not that I have a problem with that) for the last 6 years - - - and am so pleased that they have finally brought this camera out. I was afraid it was all just going to to be talk and no go. I will start buying into the system next week with an E-510, couple of lenses and the new  FL-50R wireless flash. When I get back from Costa Rica in a few months and am ready to start my 2008 wedding season, I will already have a head start with the Olympus system and add in the E-3 and 12-60mm 2.8-4 lens. In my hand, this combo was the perfect setup. For weddings I don't know if I'll need anything more (well I'll need the E-510 backups). What a perfect focal length. I've always felt too restricted in the wide angle end of my standard zooms, with 28mm equiv - 24mm is perfect. I also dislike the short long end of the fast 2.8 standard zooms that only reach to  75 or 80mm - 120mm is perfect.

Just thought some might enjoy the results of my playing tonight. I'm not really trying to convince anyone and am not saying this is the best out there. The battlefield is strong with the mainstream Canon 40D and Nikon D300 - - - and after playing with the Olympus E-3, have to say that it also is a strong contender in my eyes.

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