Olympus’s 7.5 megapixel full-time live view EVOLT E-330 is the first digital SLR designed to provide a full-time live view on its LCD monitor while still providing a usable through-the-lens viewfinder. It provides two live view modes, the first uses a small CCD sensor integrated into the viewfinder chamber, the second mode uses the main sensor but this blocks the viewfinder and disables auto-focus.
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[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Spec Sheet At Digital Camera Info]
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Megapixel - 07/26/2006 - has reviewed the 7.5 megapixel Olympus EVOLT E-330 and writes -
Positives: - Very good image quality. - Excellent metering. - Excellent colour rendition. - Effectively noise-free up to 400 ISO. - Comlete range of formats (RAW, TIFF and JPEG). - Built-in SSWF sensor cleaning system. - Useful Live View system. - Powerful built-in flash.
DP Expert - 06/29/2006 - reviewed the 7.5 megapixel Olympus EVOLT E-330 and they write -
“We subjected the E-330 to our usual image acid test — our friendly rainbow lorikeets in the garden — and we were surprised to see how badly the camera handles saturated reds. Colour bleeding in the red/orange areas on the birds’ chests was so bad that all feather definition was lost. We found a partial solution by turning down the in-camera saturation to its lowest setting.”
Digital Reviews - 06/20/2006 - has finished their review of the 7.5 megapixel Olympus EVOLT E-330 and they write -
” The two weeks with the Evolt was not enough for an in-depth review but enough to realize that Olympus has a winner in the E-300.”
Digital Camera Info - 06/09/2006 - has completed their review of the 7.5 megapixel Olympus EVOLT E-330 and write -
“Live preview on a DSLR is very impressive, and the Evolt E330 has the best live preview we’ve ever seen, period. It has less display lag, it’s brighter and clearer, and it allows more accurate manual focus than any of the best premium compacts, like the Sony R1 or the Panasonic Lumix FZ30. It’s very good at its unique trick. That said, the preview still seems like a technology in search of a use. Olympus seems ambivalent about it, suggesting exotic uses like underwater photography but leaning more heavily on the notion that that users stepping up from compact cameras to DSLRs might feel more comfortable with an LCD display like the one they’re used to. Really? Friends who have made the jump haven’t complained at all.”
Trusted Reviews - 06/05/2006 - has a new review of the 7.5 megapixel Olympus EVOLT E-330 and they write -
“This is a camera that you could use professionally and be assured of good results. Although it may look a little strange, it performs as well as any of its direct mid-range competitors. It has a full range of professional options, including excellent colour options. The live monitor view is a very welcome bonus on an excellent camera.”
Steve’s Digicams - 5-9-2006 - While the E-330 competes well with the prosumer cameras, its performance lags its amateur dSLR competition, most notably in autofocus performance/flexbility and continuous shooting. What makes the E-330 stand out is the Live View feature, offering a hybrid of prosumer digicam and dSLR viewfinders, and enabling you to enjoy the advantages of each in a single camera.
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Review At Steve's Digicams]
PC World - 4-22-2006 - Instead of providing a separate status LCD, the EVolt E-330 relies on one LCD screen to display all camera information. The status readout is incredibly detailed, providing all of the relevant data on your camera’s current configuration. Unfortunately, when you look through the viewfinder, the screen can be very annoying because it’s always on, and this makes the optical viewfinder unusable in low-light conditions.
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Review At PC World]
Computer Active - 4-8-2006 - Photo quality is impressive, but it doesn’t really offer anything extra compared with previous Olympus models. However, at the moment there’s no other option if you want to combine a removable-lens SLR with a live LCD viewfinder.
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Review At Computer Active]
Popular Photography - 3-29-2006 - The bottom line on this Evolt? It’s a splendid improvement over the E-300 in terms of image quality and AF sensitivity. And for the few hundred dollars more than you’d spend on the older E-300 or the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT ($750, street), you get the only DSLR capable of a live color preview — and a big, swiveling LCD monitor to enjoy it on.
What’s Hot First DSLR to offer live color preview LCD. Ultrasonic dust removal system on sensor. Big, swiveling 2.5-inch LCD monitor.
What’s Not Wimpy burst mode (4 frames at 3 fps). 3-zone AF not the most advanced for $$. Battery life takes a hit in live mode.
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Review At Popular Photography]
PC Magazine - 3-23-2006 - When I turned the camera’s mode dial to “scene mode,” I was pleased to see the scene mode’s name, a sample picture, and a brief description of the mode on the LCD. This is smart, since so many D-SLR owners still refuse to crack the camera’s manual. (If you do need to check out the manual, you will find it well organized and useful.)
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Review At PC Magazine]
DP Review - 2/19/2006 - Finally there is no doubt that this camera can produce excellent results (at lower sensitivities) and that the live view may be the deal maker for some people. I struggled for a long time rating this camera, and if we had a half-way it would get an ‘Above Average and a Half’ however it’s just good enough to scrape a Recommended (lets hope we see a price drop), but come on Olympus you can (and will have to) do better than this!”
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Review At DP Review]
Hardwarezone - 3/7/2006 - By incorporating live preview, an adjustable LCD monitor, a low power 7.5-megapixel MOS sensor and SSWF technology, the Olympus E-330 is easily the most interesting DSLR in the market right now. Built not just for the strict professionals, the E-330 comes standard with a 49-area AE sensor and over 30 scene modes ideal for semi-professional photographers who may require the assistance of preset modes. Test shots have proven that the E-330 is well capable of holding its own ground pretty well against competing DSLR cameras. Noise suppression and color reproduction were both impressive as well.
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 First Look At Hardwarezone]
PC Magazine - 2/24/2006 - The Olympus Evolt E-330 is a very good midrange dSLR with unique live scene viewing on its large LCD.”
The good: Can preview shots on LCD; large LCD; very solidly built; strong photo quality.
The bad: Takes a while to figure out some of the features; kit lens is slow
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Review At CNET]
Wrotniak - 2/7/2006 - With the live preview Olympus enters the ground not trodden before. There is no such feature on any of the competing models. The implementation can be criticized for being a bit kludgy, the preview quality may be not at par with that on non-SLR cameras - so what? Take it or leave it; nobody else offers this feature on an SLR. Turn the thing off and you are where everyone else is.
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Review At Wrotniak]
Steve’s Digicams 1/31/2006 - Olympus’ Dust Reduction System produces spot-free photos with the exclusive Supersonic Wave Filter that uses ultrasonic technology to shake dust off the image sensor every time you turn the camera on. These spot-free photos liberate users from hours spent retouching images at the computer. The new EVOLT E-330, like all Olympus digital SLR cameras, is equipped with this exclusive user-friendly technology.
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Preview At Steve's Digicams]
DC Resource 1/31/2006 - Being the jaded camera reviewer that I am, the talk of yet another entry-level digital SLR didn’t excite me. Then Olympus told me the secret of the E-330 ($999 body only, $1099 with lens): it’s the first digital SLR with a real “live view” on the LCD — just like on the point-and-shoot digicam you may already own. This type of camera has been the subject of rumors for quite some time, with most people figuring that there would be an electronic viewfinder in place of the traditional optical viewfinder. That is not the case on the E-330: there’s a regular optical viewfinder in addition to that live view 2.5″ LCD.
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Preview At DC Resource]
Digital Camera Info 1/27/2006 - Digital Cameras Live Preview Evolution - Live preview, or the ability to see the changing scene through the lens on a digital camera’s LCD, is something we now take for granted on compact digital cameras. When in capture mode, even the most inexpensive point-and-shoot will display the changing scene in front of the lens on the LCD, which is itself a species of live preview. But it wasn’t always this way. Digital photography is only a few decades old, and taking a peek at the role of the live preview in its short but innovative past better puts Olympus’ new E-330 in context.
[Digital Cameras Live Preview Evolution]
CNET 1/26/2006 - This model uses the same Porro viewfinder that gave the E-300 its distinctive flat-top design. Unfortunately, most people found that design rather unattractive. In its favor, the E-330 isn’t as wide and boxy-looking as the E-300, which makes it both more compact and less unsightly than its predecessor.
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Preview At CNET]
Imaging Resource 1/26/2006 - But here’s where it gets really tricky. Technically, the EVOLT E-330 has not one image sensor, but two. And not two viewfinders, but three.
Let’s back up. The normal configuration for digital SLRs includes an imaging sensor covered by a shutter and a mirror. The mirror reflects light onto a focusing screen and from there into a prism or mirror assembly which redirects the image coming through the lens to the optical viewfinder eyepiece where the photographer can see what they’re about to capture. When the shutter is released, the mirror moves out of the way, the shutter opens, and the scene is captured and stored to memory.
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Preview At Imaging Resource]
DP Review 1/25/2006 - The The E-330’s biggest differentiator to any other digital SLR is its capability to deliver a live view on the LCD monitor (in the same manner as a prosumer / consumer all-in-one digital camera).
Live View does on the whole work, certainly it’s best in good light or in Mode B for assessing depth of field and accurate focus for macro work. It’s fair to say that in Mode B you can achieve far more accurate focus point / DOF setup than you could using the viewfinder. However we did experience several issues with the E-330’s Live View implementation which left us with a distinct ‘if you can’t do it properly, don’t do it at all’ feeling.
[Olympus EVOLT E-330 Preview At DP Review]
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As they become available we’ll post them.
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London, 26 January 2006 - With its new E-330, Olympus introduces the fourth SLR body in the award winning Olympus E-System and expands the horizons of photography by including live view on the LCD screen of a digital SLR for the first time*.
This ground-breaking innovation enables framing of shots without the need to look through the viewfinder, allowing users to remain aware of what’s going on around them while they shoot – a significant advantage for reportage or sports photographers. As the image is relayed live on a large bright LCD screen measuring 2.5″/ 6.4cm framing the subject is made much easier in situations when using a conventional viewfinder is too awkward, such as when photographing underwater. And as the large LCD can be tilted or swivelled to virtually any angle, the versatility of the Olympus E-330 is extended even further.
The E-330 has been equipped with the latest-generation 7.5 million pixel MOS sensor for high speed and sensitivity. And, to safeguard image quality against dust contamination, Olympus’s exclusive Supersonic Wave Filter once again appears on an E-System SLR.
For ultimate versatility, the Olympus E-330 is compatible with the full range of Olympus E-System accessories. It will be supplied with a ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-45mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens (equivalent to 28-90mm on a 35mm camera)** and, from March 2006.
Continuous live view on a tilt and swivel monitor
As the world’s first* digital SLR to feature a continuous live view on its LCD screen, the Olympus E-330 gives photographers a previously unheard of degree of flexibility. The camera’s TTL optical porro design has made it possible to fit the E-330 with two separate image sensors, enabling two different live view modes. Mode A, for Full Time Live View framing, utilises a CCD mounted in the viewfinder’s optical path to return a 92% field of view and retains full AF functionality. Meanwhile, Mode B locks the mirror in the up position and uses the camera’s Live MOS sensor to enable a Macro Live View with a 100% field of view. This latter mode is especially helpful when focusing macro subjects, as it provides the freedom of complete manual focus control aided by the facility to magnify the central section of the displayed image by 10x.
To get the maximum benefit from the dual live views, Olympus has equipped the E-330 with a large, 2.5″/6.4cm multi-angle monitor, the LCD screen of which employs HyperCrystal technology, assuring extra-fast response times and providing viewing-angles of 160°. The angle of this monitor can be adjusted by the photographer, so that the best view of the subject can be seen on the LCD screen. This feature makes composing photos taken above the head, over the top of crowds, or shot from waist height surprisingly easy, removing the chance of pointing the camera in the wrong direction. Macro photographers in particular will appreciate this feature as they won’t need to bend themselves into uncomfortable positions to look through the viewfinder when framing low level shots.
Keeping track of the many functions on offer has also been made easy, as the E-330’s large LCD monitor also displays details of the current camera settings and users have the choice of either viewing more detailed information or just the general settings.
High-performance 7.5 million pixel Live MOS sensor
For the very best in imaging performance the Olympus E-330 incorporates a newly-developed latest generation MOS sensor with 7.5 million pixels. This type of sensor offers image quality comparable to an FFT-CCD but with the low power requirements of an MOS Sensor. A simple amplifier in each pixel reduces the number of circuit paths, minimising the surface area that is unresponsive to light. The effectively enlarged photosensitive area thereby helps to provide superior image quality, as well as higher sensitivity with less noise. Responsiveness is similarly enhanced for fast processing, making the camera capable of delivering a burst rate of 3.0 frames per second. Coupled with the TruePic TURBO image processor, results will convince even professional users.
Slots for both CompactFlash and xD-Picture Card feature have been included so that photographers can choose the type of media on which they wish to record their results and files can be saved in JPEG, TIFF and RAW formats.
Professional results for everyone
Photographers who want to give free reign to their creative impulses will find that the full manual mode, along with the semi-manual Aperture or Shutter Priority options on the Olympus E-330 have plenty to offer, whilst others may prefer the convenience of automatic shooting. On top of these four exposure modes, 20 pre-defined scene modes and 7 creative modes have been included to cover most eventualities. These include modes for Nature Macro and xD-Panorama shooting, as well as two underwater modes and an anti-blur option.
A 49 area AE sensor provides accurate exposure values for ESP metering using an advanced evaluation algorithm, with conventional centre-weighted average and spot metering also available. And for more tricky lighting situations Highlight and Shadow specific spot metering are on hand to give ultra precise control. A Histogram function is also included as well as professional AE Lock functionality for camera customisation. Of course, for additional lighting requirements, the built-in flash can always be brought into play and for more demanding flash photography photographers can purchase more specialised flash guns, such as the FL-36 or FL-50 and ring and twin flash units, from the Olympus E-System.
Other pro-level features including One-Touch White Balance, Depth of Field Preview and bracketing functions for exposure, white balance and focus are all geared towards enhancing the shooting experience and ultimately ensuring picture quality. Black & white shooting is also available with the option to select colour filters – as used in analogue photography, to alter the contrast of the sky for example.
Ready for all kinds of applications
Photographers using the Olympus E-330 will benefit from buying into the broad and ever expanding Olympus E-System of lenses and other accessories, designed specifically for digital photography. Olympus provides a solution for virtually any situation, even underwater photography and every lens features nearly telecentric construction to enhance digital image capture. A full list of lenses can be found in the Background information section of this release.
The Olympus E-330 represents a radical new departure in digital SLR design. With its live view feature, photographers will for the first time be able comfortably view the image they are taking no matter what position their camera is placed in. The Olympus E-330 comes in a kit with a high-performance ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-45mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens (28-90mm)**, and will be available from March 2006 in camera shops retailing for around £900.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Olympus E-330 digital SLR – main features:
- World’s first* Live View digital SLR with two modes:
- A Mode – Full Time Live View with incorporated AF
- B Mode – Macro Live View with 10x magnification for easy focusing
- 7.5 million pixels Live MOS sensor
- Multi-angle 6.4cm/2.5†HyperCrystal LCD (215,250 pixels)
- Supersonic Wave Filter for dust protection
- TTL Optical Porro Finder design
- Single AF, continuous AF and manual focusing, plus S-AF+MF and C-AF+MF
- 49 area AE sensor
- ESP, centre-weighted average and spot exposure metering plus high light basis and shadow light basis spot metering
- Based on Four Thirds standard
- Professional AE lock functionality
- Sequential shooting at up to 3.0fps
- IR Hybrid Type Cut Filter for equalisation with human eyes
- 1/3 EV ISO steps
- ISO up to 1600
- TruePic TURBO image processor
- P/S/A as well as full manual operation
- 20 scene modes, 7 creative modes plus 4 exposure modes
- Dual slot for CompactFlash/Microdrives and xD-Picture Cards
- Built-in pop-up flash
- User-friendly with detailed and simplified display modes
- Weight: 550g, size: 140×87x72mm
- Compatible with the complete range of Olympus E-System lenses and many accessories, including the FL-36 flash and the ME-1 magnifier
- Available as camera body only or in kit containing camera body, 14-45mm (28-90mm)** - 1:3.5-5.6 lens , BLM-1 rechargeable battery pack with BCM-2 charger
- Supersonic Wave Dust Filter
As with all Olympus E-System cameras, incorporation of the Supersonic Wave Filter means that the problem of dust entering the camera body and landing on the image sensor while changing lenses is completely eradicated. The patented technology ensures worry-free lens changing anywhere and anytime, enabling users to experience the brilliance of dust-free pictures. Developed by Olympus, the Supersonic Wave Filter generates ultra-high-speed vibrations that shake off dust and other particles, such as pollen grains, which are then captured to prevent recontamination. This function is activated at each start-up of the camera, but may also be triggered manually. This ingenious solution spares users the time and expense of cleaning dusty image sensors or retouching photos that have been spoiled by black dust spots.
Olympus E-System lenses**
ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14mm (14-28mm)** 1:4.0 ZUIKO DIGITAL 11-22mm (22-44mm)** 1:2.8-3.5 ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-35mm (28-70mm)** 1:2.0 (available 2007) ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-45mm (28-90mm)** 1:3.5-5.6 ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm (28-108mm)** 1:2.8-3.5 ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 18-180mm (36-360mm)** 1:3.5-6.3 (available end of January 2006) ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 35-100mm (70-200mm)** 1:2.0 ZUIKO DIGITAL 40-150mm (80-300mm)** 1:3.5-4.5 ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50-200mm (100-400mm)** 1:2.8-3.5 ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 90-250mm (180-500mm)** 1:2.8 ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 8mm Fisheye (16mm)** 1:3.5 ZUIKO DIGITAL 35mm Macro (70mm)** 1:3.5 ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50mm Macro (100mm)** 1:2.0 ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 150mm (300mm)** 1:2.0 ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 300mm (600mm)** 1:2.8 Optional underwater case PT-E02
From May 2006, a special underwater case PT-E02 will be available for the Olympus E-330. Waterproof to a depth of 60m, the PT-E02 makes using a professional digital SLR underwater much easier than before by allowing photos to be framed by using the live view on the cameras LCD screen, rather than needing to try looking through the viewfinder whilst wearing a diving mask, as was previously the case.
- As of January 2006 ** Focal length equivalent on a 35mm camera in brackets
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