Olympus E-500

Features
The E-500 uses a Four-Thirds system which should be familiar to Olympians--Olympus dSLR users we mean. This 8-megapixel shooter employs a full-frame transfer CCD which has a wider light-receiving area, making it possible to capture a richer range of graduations.

With a dSLR, we are expecting users to switch lenses for different shooting conditions. Keeping that in mind, the Olympus E-500 incorporates a Supersonic Wave Filter (SSWF) in between the shutter and low-pass filter in front of the camera's CCD. The dust reduction system generates on the average 30,000 ultrasonic vibrations upon receiving power and the debris is caught by a dust absorber at the bottom of the filter.

If you own the E-300, you will probably find that the number of buttons on that dSLR is similar on the E-500. The layout on the E-500 is logical and has a gentle learning curve. Besides, if you don't wish to use the dedicated buttons, you can surf your way through the various settings on the LCD screen using the directional keys and the control dial. There are two available display modes on the E-500: Normal and detailed. In normal mode, the characters are larger and easier on the eyes, although you can view only limited but essential settings on the screen--just don't look for fancy or colorful menus for you ain't going to get it.

Shooting options on the E-500 are numerous and varied. This dSLR offers a breathtaking total of 15 scene modes typically available on point-and-shoots, along with four advanced shooting settings (Programe AE, Aperture-priority AE, Shutter-priority AE and Manual Exposure). Canon's EOS 350D and Nikon's D50 pale in comparison with six scene modes to match. In our opinion, the E-500 effectively bridges the gap that has traditionally deterred enthusiasts from jumping onto the digital SLR bandwagon by providing the necessary comfort level which these people are already used to.

The one-touch white balance button doubles as a shortcut for magnifying your images 10x their original size. However, we notice at that magnification and above, you won't get any more details to determine if your pictures are actually sharp.

Other features on the E-500 include a new 49-division light-metering sensor. According to Olympus, this system will ensure a wide dynamic range enabling accurate and high-speed light metering. With a dual-card slot option, users can opt for CompactFlash or xD-Picture Cards. For our tests, we used Imation's 1GB ultra-high-speed CompactFlash card.

When you preview images, you can select a total of seven different display modes. We particularly like the histogram on a semi-transparent background and screens that show the highlight and shadow properties--giving us warning that our pictures may be incorrectly exposed so that we can reshoot immediately.

• Most Popular

• Upcoming

What's Hot