E300 Binary Options

Deutsche Studien Staaten Großbritannien könnte 300 Milliarden verlieren Wenn Blätter Die EU Die allgemeine Wahl im Vereinigten Königreich wird voraussichtlich in der ersten Maiwoche stattfinden und wenn die Konservativen gewählt werden und an die Macht kommen, dann werden sie höchstwahrscheinlich mit ihrem Fortschritt Ausreise aus der Europäischen Union. Die konservative Partei drängt auf ein Referendum über die EU-Mitgliedschaft und möchte gerne sehen, dass Großbritannien aus dem Block fliegt. Zwei deutsche Institute haben sorgfältig die Konsequenzen analysiert, die Großbritannien bei einem Ausstieg aus der EU am ehesten ins Auge fassen würde, und die Schlussfolgerung gezogen, dass die größten Auswirkungen auf die Finanzfront liegen. Die deutsche Studie zeigt, dass Großbritannien über 300 Milliarden oder fast 14 Prozent seines BIP verlieren könnte. Die Studie wurde vom ifo Institut und der Stiftung Bertelsmann Stiftung durchgeführt und zeigte, dass Großbritannien mehr zu verlieren, als zu gewinnen, indem Sie die EU verlassen. Der Bericht zeigt auch, dass auch andere EU-Länder leiden würden, wenn Großbritannien aus der EU ausscheiden würde, aber ihre Verluste wären geringfügig im Vergleich zu Großbritannien. In einer Erklärung, Aart De Geus. Vorsitzender und Vorstandsvorsitzender der Bertelsmann Stiftung sagte, dass A Brexit für alle in Europa aus wirtschaftlicher Sicht allein für Großbritannien ein Verlustspiel ist. Aber abgesehen von den wirtschaftlichen Konsequenzen wäre es ein besonders bitterer Rückschlag für die europäische Integration und Europas Rolle in der Welt. Der Kurs für eine Brexit im Unterhaus Wahlen würde die EU schwächen. Die Konservativen mögen Großbritannien, um die EU zu verlassen und dann ein unabhängiges Handelsabkommen mit der EU zu bilden. Die Bedingungen des Handelsabkommens wären erheblich, denn es wäre der Schlüsselfaktor für die Bestimmung, wie viel Geld Großbritannien verliert oder endet zu sparen. Die Konservativen wollen, dass Großbritannien eine ähnliche Vereinbarung haben wird, die die Schweiz mit der EU hat, und wird wahrscheinlich ihre Politik in ähnlicher Weise modellieren. Die deutsche Studie hat ein Best-Case-Szenario und ein Worst-Case-Szenario auf der Grundlage, wie Großbritannien aussehen würde aussehen, wenn es die EU im Jahr 2030 verlassen. Der Bericht geht weiter zu sagen, dass mögliche Einsparungen, wie die Aufhebung der EU-Haushalt Zahlungen, die derzeit Insgesamt etwa 0,5 des britischen Bruttoinlandsprodukts, konnten auch im Best-Case-Szenario keine wirtschaftlichen Verluste kompensieren. Prescott Valley Eye Care schätzt Patienten auf die Vorteile des Medmont E300 Hornhaut-Topographen PRESCOTT VALLEY, Arizona 11. Dezember 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE ) - Diejenigen, die Eyewear und Kontaktlinsen für Augen, die von Augenkrankheit, Keratokonus und LASIK verzerrt sind, können jetzt Objektiven haben, die bequemer sind und besser ihre einzigartigen Augenformen unter Verwendung des vorgerückten Medmont E300 Corneal Topographen passen. Vision Patienten, die Spezial-Kontaktlinsen benötigen profitieren von den modernsten Placido Ring Topographer der Welt, der Medmont E300 Corneal Topographer. Genießen Sie die verbesserte Passform und Vision von Spezial-Kontaktlinsen ermöglicht mit seiner topografischen Mapping-Fähigkeiten. Besuchen Sie mit einem Augenarzt bei Prescott Valley Eye Care, um mehr zu erfahren. Der Medmont Corneal Topograph ist der beste Placido Ring Topograph auf dem Markt. Die Technologie erlaubt es einem Prescott Augenarzt oder Chino-Tal-Optometriker, eine topographische Karte der Hornhaut des Patienten zu erhalten, um beim Einbau von weichen, starren gasdurchlässigen und skleralen Kontaktlinsen für Hornhaut zu helfen, die aufgrund der Erkrankung Keratokonus, LASIK, PRK, RK verzerrt wurden , Durchdringung Keratoplastik, und andere Fragen. Patienten profitieren von weniger Bürobesuchen, verbesserte Sicht und Komfort mit jedem gegebenen Objektiv-Typ und überlegene Überwachung der Gesundheit der Hornhaut. Spezial-Kontaktlinsen können für Personen jeden Alters benötigt werden. Keratokonus oder KC wird häufig bei Jugendlichen diagnostiziert. KC verursacht wulstige Hornhaut und verzerrt die Form des Auges. Während weiche Kontaktlinsen im Frühstadium ein korrektives Sehvermögen bieten können, werden speziell angepasste Kontaktlinsen in späteren Stadien benötigt. Ältere Erwachsene, die LASIK unterzogen und wünschen Kontaktlinsen für Vision Fragen können auch eine Brille, die berücksichtigt die einzigartige Form der Augen und Sehstörungen. Eine umfassende Augenuntersuchung und die Verwendung des Medmont E300 Hornhaut-Topografen können präzise einschätzen einzigartige Sichtprobleme und liefern die Informationen, die für kundenspezifische eyewear für Anblickpatienten erforderlich sind. Wir kümmern uns um unsere Vision Patienten, ihre Augengesundheit, und ihren Komfort, sagte Brian J. Courtright, O. D. Inhaber und Präsident von Prescott Valley Eye Care. Unsere Augenpflege-Center ist verpflichtet, die neueste Technologie, um die Hornhaut, Adresse Augenerkrankungen und erstellen spezielle angepasste Spezialität Linsen, die Verbesserung der Patienten-Vision und Komfort. Die neue Medmont E300 Corneal Topographer profitiert Vision Patienten, dass sie verbesserte Mapping-Funktionen für alle ihre Brillen-Bedürfnisse sowie Überwachung von Augenkrankheiten. Dr. Brian J. Courtright, Inhaber und Präsident von Prescott Valley Eye Care, hat Bewohner von Prescott, Dewey-Humboldt und Chino Valley seit über 13 Jahren gedient. Patienten können überlegene Augenpflege von Optometristen und Mitarbeiter mit der neuesten Augenpflege-Technologie erwarten, um Patienten Bedürfnisse zu adressieren. Services bei Prescott Valley Eye Care umfassen umfassende Augenuntersuchungen, pädiatrische Augenuntersuchungen, Augenkrankheiten Management, LASIK, und refraktive Chirurgie Co-Management und Gläser und Kontakte Armaturen. Rufen Sie (928) 770-5724 an, um mit einem Mitarbeiter über den Medmont E300 Corneal Topographer zu sprechen oder besuchen Sie pveyedoc / für mehr Details über ihre Dienstleistungen. Prescott Valley Augenpflege, PC, (928) 770-5724 ATW, CRR. 20 Aktien bewegen sich in Monday039s Pre-Market Session LMT, BA. Lockheed Martin Das jüngste Opfer eines Trums Tweet GXC, FXI. China Stocks Tumble Shanghai zusammengesetzter Index unten über 2 REGN, IMNP. Immune Pharmaceuticals CEO Talks Unternehmen und es. LMT. Lockheed Martin versucht, nach Tr. REGN, SNY. Chardan Upgrades Regeneron zitiert F. XLK, NVDA. 3 Faktoren Schieben NVIDIA S. NSA, HBHC. 20 Aktien bewegen sich in Tuesday039s Pre-Market Session ANF. Abercrombie Poised Für Schlimmsten Urlaub Teen Einzelhandel Performance OPHT, REGN. Was Fovista039s Fail bedeutet für OHR Pharma LMT, NOC. Hier039s Warum Northrop Grumman Aktien verschoben Lowe. JELP. (ZB Döner, Friseur, Da Beppo). Ein Blick in die Märkte: U. S. Stock F. Benzinga ist ein schnell wachsendes, dynamisches und innovatives Finanzmedium, das Investoren mit hochwertigen, einzigartigen Inhalten ermöglicht. Beliebte Kanäle Tools amp Funktionen Über Benzinga Benzinga Partner 1 (877) 440-9464 (ZING) Kopie Copyright BenzingaMy Weitere Artikel zum Olympus E-System Kameras. Dies ist eine detaillierte, technische Überprüfung der Olympus E-300. Es basiert auf einer endgültigen Einzelhandelsversion dieser Digitalkamera, die auf eigene Kosten mit Version 1.0 der auf die neueste Version v.1.3 aktualisierten Firmware gekauft wurde und der Text geändert wurde, um die Änderungen widerzuspiegeln. (Werbefoto von Olympus) Die E-300 (Evolt in den USA) ist die erste erschwingliche digitale Spiegelreflexkamera aus dem Hause Olympus, die in den Fußstapfen der E-1 des vergangenen Jahres steht. Ich habe sowohl die E-10 und E-20 Fixed-Zoom-Spiegelreflexkameras und drei High-End-, Nicht-SLR-Olympus-Modelle besessen, ich wuchs wie die Art und Weise, wie Olympus-Designer machen ihre Kompromisse (wenn jeder Kameramann sagt, sie machen keine , Sie lügen nur). Meine drei Jahre alte E-20 ist immer noch in Ordnung und liefert Ergebnisse für die meisten Zwecke, die ich brauche, aber es ist ziemlich langsam (im Sparen, nicht schießen), im Vergleich zu aktuellen Rasse der Kameras, daher im November letzten Jahres war ich auf der Suche Für eine neue digitale Spiegelreflexkamera. Da ich mit einem Budget rechnete, zielte ich auf die Preisspanne von 1200 ab und hatte keine nennenswerten Investitionen in Film-SLR-Objektive (bis auf fünfzig in meiner Exakta-Sammlung und ein paar Minolta-Platten) Eine besondere Marke. Ein Kollege von E-20 wechselte vor kurzem zu einer Canon 300D und ist sehr glücklich mit der neuen Kamera, die er mir freundlich angeboten hat, mich für ein paar Tage damit ausprobieren zu lassen, zusammen mit 18-55 und 70-200 mm Zoomobjektiven. Um eine lange Geschichte kurz zu machen, nachdem ich drei Tage mit der Canon 300D verbracht habe, habe ich mich gegen den Kauf entschieden. Während die meiste Zeit die Ergebnisse waren sehr gut (außer für gelegentliche Farbprobleme), ich didnt wie das Gefühl der Kamera (nicht nur Ergonomie) und fand einige der entworfenen Einschränkungen, die meisten von ihnen durch die Firmware verhängt, irritierend. (Dont fragen mich, in Details zu gehen, würde das Schreiben einer Überprüfung und Im nicht oben für das benötigen. Wenn Sie eine Canon-trashing Überprüfung sehen möchten, gehen Sie zu fast jeder möglicher Nikon-Ventilatoraufstellungsort und umgekehrt.) Gut kann dieses sein Eine Sache des Geschmacks, und während ich die 300D einen guten Kauf (vor allem für das Geld) halte, ist dies keine Kamera für mich. Die ganze Zeit seit ihrer Veröffentlichung war ich mit der Olympus E-1 versucht, aber nicht ganz bereit, diese Art von Geld zu verbringen Ich fand es auch ein bisschen zu groß und zu schwer für meinen Geschmack. Daher hoffte ich für das Beste, beschloss ich, die E-300 auszuprobieren, sobald es in den Vereinigten Staaten verfügbar ist. (Außerdem wollte ein Freund in Übersee auch eins bekommen: er bot an, es von mir zu kaufen, wenn ich mich entschied, es nicht zu behalten, da der US-Preis viel niedriger ist als das, was er zu zahlen hätte Am 14. Dezember 2004 bekam ich meine E-300 und begann mit dem Versuch, es auszuprobieren, zur gleichen Zeit schreiben diese Bewertung (begann einen Monat früher als kommentiert specs Blatt). Es hat viele Male seit und wurde immer noch gepflegt. Hinweis: Mit einer Ausnahme, alle anderen Digitalkameras, die ich gekauft und gehalten wurden von Olympus. Daher können Sie mir eine Pro-Olympus-Bias verdächtigen. Manchmal frage ich mich auch diese Frage. Meine Entscheidungen basierten jedoch nicht auf Markentreue (in der ich nicht glaube) im Gegenteil, Im im Widerspruch zu Olympus auf eine Reihe von Fragen, und in der Vergangenheit habe ich zwei ihrer Kameras, die ich für nicht akzeptabel (keine Namen , Bitte). Konstruktion: Aluminium-Druckguss-Rahmen Stahl () Objektivfassung Polycarbonat-Karosserie Obere Abdeckung aus Aluminium Olympus sagt, dass der Karosserierahmen robust genug ist, um alle 4/3 Linsen, einschließlich der 300 mm (600 mm EFL) großen Pistole, zu handhaben. Die obere Abdeckung schaut wie entweder eine mutige Modeaussage oder ein afterthought, abhängig von Ihrer Haltung. Ich muß mich daran gewöhnen. Das Fehlen des Pentaprismushöckers über dem Objektiv verstärkt den ungewöhnlichen Look (Hinweis: Auch viele Digital-Finder-Kameras haben einen Imitationsprisma-Buckel, um sie eher wie SLRs zu sehen). Während der Blick ist High-Tech, I dont wie es zu viel. Die Unterscheidung der besten Blicke unter den digitalen Spiegelreflexkameras gehört zur Pentax ist, glaube ich. Insbesondere kann das flache Erscheinungsbild als schön oder hässlich angesehen werden, abhängig von Ihrem Geschmack, Einstellung und dem Tag der Woche. Unabhängig davon, die Kamera sieht und fühlt sich ernster als andere in seiner Klasse. Übrigens, der Körper ist in China hergestellt. Das machte mich zuerst ein bisschen verdächtig (Stereotypen), aber nur das Label gibt das weg, nicht die Bau - oder Endqualität. Eine erstklassige Arbeit hier. Finish und fühlen: Schwarz, mit Aluminium-Alu-Deckel, gummierte Griff. Das Finish ist erstklassig kein Eckenschneiden in dieser Abteilung. Tatsächlich fühlt sich der gekrümmte Plastikkörper wie Metall in meinem E-20 an, während die Aluminiumoberseite mit Plastik verwechselt werden könnte (wenn nicht für kühler zur Note). Die Kamera ist leicht zu halten (trotz linksseitig schwer) der gummierte Handgriff und Daumenauflage sind von der richtigen Größe und Form, so dass die Berührung mit der Art von Gefühl, das ich mag. Die E-300 fühlt sich sicherlich besser als und nicht so billig wie die konkurrierenden Modelle, vor allem die Canon 300D Digital Rebel. Zumindest von außen würden Sie nicht erraten, das ist ein Wirtschaftsmodell. Dont erwarten dieses in einer digitalen SLR zu diesem Preis, mindestens noch nicht. In einigen Werbematerialien bezieht sich Olympus auf die E-300 als staubdicht. Bit Im nicht sicher, was genau das bedeutet. Während dies nicht klein ist, hat die Kamera eine kleinere Höhe als jede andere digitale Spiegelreflexkamera. Es ist jedoch breiter als viele der Konkurrenz. Verglichen mit dem E-1 ist es 5 mm breiter, 19 mm kürzer und 17 mm weniger tief. Wenn die Kamerawandbreite um 15 mm oder so reduziert werden könnte, wären die Proportionen besser und die Größe angenehmer. Das ist sicher nicht eine Größenrevolution wie die des berühmten OM-1, dafür müssen wir noch ein paar Jahre warten. Man würde meinen, dass der Four Thirds-Standard, bei dem die Bildgröße halb so groß ist wie bei 35-mm-Kameras, kleinere Kameras ermöglichen würde. Nicht so: Die E-300 (nicht zu erwähnen, die E-1) ist noch größer als alle Full-Frame, 35-mm-SLR, ohne einige schwere, pro-grade-Modelle. 85 g weniger als die E-1, oder nur 20 g mehr als die Canon Digital Rebel. Wenn Sie eine 5050 oder 5060, halten Sie es als Reise-Licht-Kamera (und für einige andere Anwendungen, wo sie bequemer, wie Tischplatte oder Infrarot-Fotografie). Zusammen mit dem gebündelten 14-45 mm Zoom wiegt die Kamera 865 g. Dies ist fast 200 g weniger als die E-20, ein spürbarer, wenn nicht dramatisch, Unterschied. Vier-Drittel-Standard Zuiko Digital 40-150 mm F / 3.5-4.5 (Bild von Olympus) Alle 4/3 Objektive, die ursprünglich für den E-1 freigegeben wurden, funktionieren mit dem E-300. Dies ist eine gute Nachricht, da diese optisch sehr gut sind (was sich leider in den Preisen widerspiegelt). Da es sich hierbei um einen offenen Standard mit gut dokumentierten Schnittstellen und Spezifikationen handelt, sollten wir noch mehr Drittanbieter-Objektive für den E-300 sehen, die aggressiver werden. In diesem Moment hat Sigma bereits drei Modelle. Im Allgemeinen würde ich die verfügbaren Linsen für das 4/3-System in vier Preiskategorien aufteilen, die mit Spezifikationen und Qualität korreliert sind: billig (bis zu 200), moderat (bis zu 500), teuer (bis zu 1000) und exotisch darüber hinaus). Bisher fielen nur zwei Zooms von Sigma in die erste Kategorie ein, während der zweite einen zweiten Sigma-Zoom, zwei Mittelbereichs-Zooms von Olympus und kaum 14-54 mm F / 2,8-3,5 mit dem E-1 beinhaltete. Die teure Gruppe hat zwei Olympus-Zooms mit attraktiven Brennweiten von 11-22 mm und 50-200 mm und mit breiten Öffnungen von F / 2,8-3,5. Schließlich besteht die exotische Abteilung aus zwei Prime-Objektiven (nicht zoom) mit professionellen Graden und Preisen, die zueinander passen: 150 / 2,0 (2500) und 300 / 2,8 (7000). Ich bezweifele, dass Olympus viele davon verkauft, aber sie spielen eine wichtige Rolle bei der Präsentation des E-Systems, um die Bedürfnisse der anspruchsvollsten Nutzer zu erfüllen. Als Referenz, werfen Sie einen Blick auf die volle, aktuelle 4/3 Objektivliste. Wie ich schon erwähnt habe, sind die meisten 4/3 Objektive von Olympus ziemlich teuer, aber die 40-150 mm F / 3.5-4.5 (gezeigt links), die auf E-300 Benutzer ausgerichtet sind, verkauft bei 280. Die Bildqualität von Ist dieses Objektiv überraschend gut, es zu den gebündelten 14-45 mm hinzuzufügen, deckt den 35-mm-äquivalenten Brennweitenbereich von 28 mm bis 300 mm ab. OM Objektivadapter: Auf einigen Märkten bietet Olympus auf Wunsch einen kostenlosen Adapter an, mit dem Sie Olympus OM-Objektive auf E-System-Kameras einsetzen können. Fragen Sie mich nicht, überprüfen Sie die Olympus User Support. Wenn nicht verschenkt, wird es zu dem unverschämten Preis von 200 verkauft. Mehr hierzu finden Sie hier. Andere Adapter sind für andere Objektive erhältlich. Offensichtlich können Sie Nicht-4/3-Objektive nur im manuellen oder Blendenprioritätsmodus mit abgesetzter Messung verwenden. 46 mm Innendurchmesser (Bild von Olympus) Das Bajonett ist größer als viele 35-mm-Bajonette, trotz der Tatsache, dass der 4/3 - Sensorsensor halb (linear) eines Filmrahmens ist. Dies verhindert, dass 4/3 Kameras in Zukunft viel kleiner werden. Das Bild zeigt, wie groß die Linsenfassung ist, verglichen mit dem Körper. Sie können die elektrischen Kontakte auch sehen, um die Informationen zum und vom Körper zu übermitteln. Der Sichtschirm wird vertikal positioniert. Unmittelbar auf der rechten Seite des Spiegels, aber über den Befestigungsflansch hinaus und nicht sichtbar im Bild. Die Bajonett-Aktion ist glatt, präzise und positiv, kein billiger Job. Die zwischen Objektiv und Kamera ausgetauschten Informationen beschränken sich nicht auf die offensichtlichen, wie Blenden - oder Brennweiten-Daten auf Lichtabfall und geometrische Verzerrungen verändern auch die Hände, so dass sie verwendet werden können, um diese Fehler zu korrigieren. (Mehr zu diesem mdash sehen Sie den Abschnitt Bildverarbeitung). In der Tat haben 4/3 Linsen ihre eigenen Computerchips mit der eingebetteten Firmware, die von der Kamera aktualisiert werden kann. 14-45, F / 3.5-5.6 zoom Der 14-45 mm Zoom, gebündelt mit dem E-300. (Bild von Olympus) Zunächst wird die E-300 nur mit diesem Objektiv verkauft, was die wirtschaftliche Version des ausgezeichneten 14-54, F / 2.8-3.5 Zoom ist, der mit dem E-1 gebündelt wird. Wirtschaft bedeutet hier halben Preis, so dass die Linse (oder das Bündel) erschwinglich für uns die Joneses. Nach meinen Ergebnissen ist die Linse ein guter Darsteller. Bei der Gestaltung dieses Objektivs Olympus die richtige Wahl getroffen, indem optische Leistung vor der (relativ bescheidenen) Spezifikationen. Der 14-45 mm Brennweitenbereich (äquivalent 28-90 mm bei einer 35-mm-Kamera) ist sinnvoller als der, der bei 35 oder sogar 38 mm anfängt, oft in den spektrumgetriebenen elektronischen Sucherkameras. Ein 3facher Zoom ab 28 mm EFL ist schwieriger und teurer zu machen als ein 5 mal ab 35 mm (die besser von einigen Segmenten des Marktes empfangen werden könnte). Die Blende schließt bis F / 22 bei dieser Rahmengröße ist dies nicht trivial. Während F / 11 für allgemeines Schießen (und preiswerter zu bilden) ausreichen würde, ist F / 22 nützlich in den Nahaufnahmeanwendungen, eine nette Sache. Auf der Unterseite ist das Objektiv ziemlich dunkel: F / 3.5 am breiten Ende und F / 5.6 am langen Ende dieses ist ein 1.36 EV-Unterschied. Dies betrifft nicht nur die Belichtung, sondern auch die Helligkeit des Bildes im Sucher. Der Kompromiss hat seine Gründe. Unter den vier Variablen: Brennweite, maximale Blende, optische Qualität und Preis, können Sie fast beliebig beliebig zwei mit einigen Schwierigkeiten und zusätzlichen Einschränkungen mdash drei, aber nie vier, Zeitraum. Und Olympus hat es in diesem Fall richtig gemacht. Die Marke und das Finish des Objektivs (auch in China hergestellt) sind OK, mit dem Zoom-Mechanismus bietet das richtige Gefühl und Präzision. Während es nicht verdrängen Qualität wie seine teureren Gegenstück, ist es weit von billig fühlen. Das vordere Element dreht sich nicht, wenn Sie den Fokus vergrößern oder ändern (wichtig, wenn Sie einen Polfilter verwenden), aber das Zoomen ist nicht intern: Der innere Tubus gleitet in einer nockengetriebenen Aktion ein - und aus. Aus diesem Grund würde ich Ratschläge gegen die Verwendung von Objektiv-Attachments schwerer als 100-150 g (4-6 oz). Das Zoomen ist mechanisch, während die Fokussierung über einen Ring an der Linse erfolgt. Ich war nie begeistert über die letzteren Merkmal, aber es weit von allen Herstellern verwendet, vielleicht weniger teuer. Dieses Objektiv (und seine 40-150 mm Wirtschaft Geschwister) bietet keine Distanzskala, die auf allen mittleren und up-range 4/3 Linsen von Olympus vorhanden ist. Noch einmal eine ökonomische Maßnahme, aber ich kann leicht damit leben. Es ist schade, dass man nicht (ab Dezember 2004) den E-300 Körper allein kaufen kann. Ich wäre ganz bereit, 300 extra zahlen, um die 14-52 mm-Objektiv, nicht wirklich für einen größeren Brennweitenbereich zu erhalten, sondern für ein helleres Bild und schnellere Verschlusszeiten. Full Frame Transfer CCD: KAF-8300CE von Kodak Der Chip ist in Rochester, NY (American kaufen) können Sie die Spezifikationen Blatt (für wirklich nitty-kiesige Details finden Sie in das PDF-Dokument referenziert dort). Insbesondere der Chips-Dynamikbereich ist eine beachtliche 64,4 dB (verglichen mit den ausgezeichneten 67 dB des KAF-5101CE, der in der E-1 verwendet wird) und seine Blütenbeständigkeit (Purpurfing) sollte gleich gut sein. Bei Vollbild-Übertragungs-CCDs verlaufen alle Verbindungsschaltungen in einer Schicht unter den Photosites (lichtempfindliche Elemente) und nicht nebeneinander. Das bedeutet, dass die Photosites selbst beinahe die gesamte Oberfläche des Chips mit einer größeren effektiven Lichtsammelgröße belegen können. Die Bildqualität kann so verbessert werden, mit weniger Lärm und nicht nur. Diese Chips benötigen einen realen mechanischen Verschluss, um Belichtungszeiten zu definieren (elektronische Schaltung oder Gating funktioniert nicht mit ihnen), aber das ist kein Problem mit mittleren bis High-End-Kameras, die alle mechanische Rollläden sowieso haben. Interessenten sollten sich die ausführliche und interessante Diskussion der KAF-8300CE von Jason Busch bei digitaldingus ansehen. Effektive Sensorgröße: Dies ist die Größe, die dem tatsächlichen aufgenommenen Bild entspricht, der gesamte sensible Bereich beträgt 18,0 × 13,5 mm, wobei die Ränder für andere Zwecke verwendet werden. Ich habe einige Beschwerden darüber gelesen, wie viel ist dies kleiner als die APS-Größe in anderen digitalen Spiegelreflexkameras verwendet. Überprüfen Sie die Zahlen. Der Canon EOS 20D Chip ist 22,5 x 15 mm. Einige der längeren Dimensionen sind sowieso verschwendet: von den üblichen Druckformaten nur 4x6 (10x15cm) hat ein Seitenverhältnis von 3: 2, das in der Lage ist, den vollen 3: 2 Rahmen zu verwenden. Die meisten anderen sind näher an dem 4: 3 Verhältnis, wie die kleine Ausstellung Größe von 30 × 40 cm (12 × 16). Somit wird die 20D plötzlich zu einem 7MP (nicht 8MP, als 1 MP ist auszuschneiden) Kamera, mit der nutzbaren Chip-Größe von 20x15 mm die lineare Differenz ist nur 15,5. Kaum eine große Sache und unter Berücksichtigung der Full-Frame-Transfer-Chip in der Olympus, die tatsächliche Photosite Größe kann die gleiche oder größer in Olympus-Modelle als in APS-Größe diejenigen mit der gleichen Auflösung. Nominale 8 Megapixel oder 7,62 binäre MP Obwohl der Kodak-Chip insgesamt mehr als acht Megapixel (oder genauer gesagt Photosites, die in Pixel interpoliert sind) beträgt, beträgt die genaue Anzahl derjenigen, die innerhalb des aufgezeichneten Bildes enden, 7.990.272. Im Bezug auf diese Zahl als 7,62 MP: während Mega bedeutet in der Wissenschaft eine Million, in Computer-Anwendungen, die es traditionell den Faktor 2 20 oder 1.048.576, ein Unterschied von fast 5. Warum all diese Haar-Splitting First, Im Adressierung meiner Artikel zu Leser, die solche Dinge wissen wollen, zweitens, es vereinfacht die Berechnungen. Ein unkomprimiertes Bild von einer 7,62 MP-Kamera mit 8 Bits (ein Byte) pro Farbe enthält 3 mal 7,62 22,86 MB Information. Nun, ist dies ein Fortschritt von der 5 MP der E-1 Nicht unbedingt, und aus vielen Gründen. Im Allgemeinen definiert die gegenwärtige Technologie (und in gewissem Umfang die Gesetze der Physik) eine Pixelanzahl, oberhalb derer für eine gegebene Sensorgröße keine oder nur eine geringe zusätzliche Verstärkung der Bildqualität vorliegt. Ich denke, diese Grenze, für die 4/3-Sensor-Größe, ist irgendwo zwischen 5 und 8 MP. Die 6 MP-Low-End-Kameras überquerten bereits diese Linie (wobei der Massenmarkt weitgehend ignorant war und nach dem mehr ist besser Marketing-Trick). Ja, ich möchte eine 20 MP Kamera, aber nur mit der vollen 24times36 Millimeter (oder größeren) Rahmengröße sehen. Auf der anderen Seite, 8 MP ist 60 mehr als 5 MP, und dies führt zu einer fast 30 Erhöhung der linearen Pixel Auflösung (Quadratwurzel von 1.6 minus eins). Ob Ihre Bilder, die zu erhöhen, und ob die Kamera in der Lage ist, es (mit der Linse ist möglicherweise ein Engpass) ist oft heiß diskutiert. Mein persönliches Gefühl ist, dass gleich große Abzüge (von zB 12 × 16 Zoll oder 30 × 40 cm) aus dem 5 MP E-1 sind so gut wie die von der E-300 in Bezug auf wahrgenommene Schärfe. Dennoch sind 30 weitere lineare Auflösung nichts zu schnüffeln, und bessere Objektive können davon profitieren. Native Bildgröße: Ja, das ist das Digital-Standard 4: 3-Seitenverhältnis. Ich halte das für wichtig: Bisher folgen alle SLRs von anderen Herstellern den traditionellen Filmverhältnissen von 3: 2. Wenn auf eine Standardpapiergröße mit Ausnahme der kleinsten 4 × 6 (10 × 15 cm) gedruckt wird, vergeuden diese Kameras etwa 15 ihrer Pixel, ganz zu schweigen davon, dass die Bildzusammensetzung auch beeinträchtigt oder sogar zerstört werden kann. Wie kommt es, dass niemand erwähnt, dass Im mit einem SLR vor allem wegen der Genauigkeit in Framing und Komposition, und ich mag Framing meine Themen eng. Ich möchte nicht zu erraten, wie die Ergebnisse von schneiden 15 aus der Bildbreite betroffen zu halten. Dies hat Vorrang vor vielen anderen Faktoren, die von der pixelzählbaren Menge unerbittlich diskutiert wurden. 12 Bits pro RGB-Komponente Bis auf die E-1 mit 14 Bits pro Farbe (BPC) nutzten bisherige Olympus-Kameras 10 BPC, die beiden zusätzlichen Bits erweitern den Dynamikbereich jeder Farbkomponente effektiv um den Faktor 4. (Dies bezieht sich auf den vom Sensor erfassten Bereich und digitalisiert, bevor er in der Bilddatei gespeichert wird.) Je größer die Farbtiefe ist, desto mehr Flexibilität gibt es, wenn der Bildtonbereich in die 8 BPC-Tiefe gedrückt wird Die meisten Formate für die endgültigen Bilder (JPEG, TIFF), helfen, extra Detail aus Highlights oder Schatten zu extrahieren. Die vollständigen 12 BPC-Informationen werden offensichtlich nur beibehalten, wenn Ihr Bild im Rohformat ORF gespeichert ist, siehe unten. Andernfalls ist es bis zu der in-Kamera-Schaltung, um die zusätzlichen Bits mit Bedacht in der Umwandlung auf 8 BPC zu verwenden. (JPEG-Bits werden unter Verwendung einer logarithmischen Skala zugewiesen, so daß kein Verlust des Dynamikbereichs vorliegt, aber Granularitätsprobleme bestehen bleiben.) Das Bild kann in einem der tieferen nicht-proprietären Formate (16 BPC JPEG 2000 oder TIFF) gespeichert werden, Würde es dem Fotografen ermöglichen, vollen Nutzen aus den erfassten Informationen zu ziehen, ohne die Verwendung einer ORF-Umwandlungssoftware zu erfordern. Leider ignorieren alle Kamerahersteller diese Option. Erfassungsempfindlichkeit: Automatische Einstellung: ISO 100-400 Manuelle Einstellungen: ISO 100-1600 Interessanterweise sieht Olympus keine Notwendigkeit für die ISO-Einstellungen unter 100, sie müssen mehr Zuversicht in ihren Geräuschpegel gewachsen haben, wie ISO 800 und 1600 auch zu unterstützen scheint dass. Um die beiden höchsten Einstellungen verfügbar zu machen, müssen Sie eine Option im Setup-Menü aktivieren. Dies ist ein Zeichen, dass der Hersteller sie weniger akzeptabel als andere. Dennoch, ich bevorzuge ein lautes Bild zu keinem Bild überhaupt, und High Grain war immer eine Tatsache des Lebens in der verfügbaren Lichtfotografie. Es ist möglich, dass, wie bei einigen anderen Kameras, die Einstellungen über ISO 400 nicht tatsächlich die CCD-Verstärkung ändern, die nur bei der Bildumwandlung implementiert wird. Auf jeden Fall erwarten Sie keine Wunder bei den höchsten ISO-Werten. Im Allgemeinen finde ich alle Einstellungen von ISO 100 bis 400 gut genug für jeden Zweck, und sogar ISO 800 OK für Low-Light verwendet. ISO 1600, ist jedoch sehr laut, und in der Regel erfordert s gute Lärm Beseitigung Programm bei der Nachbearbeitung angewendet. Weitere Informationen hierzu finden Sie in meinen Bildbeispielen und Geräuschentfernungsartikeln. Alle Digitalkameras benötigen diesen Filter, da die verwendeten Sensoren eine signifikante Empfindlichkeit gegenüber Infrarot aufweisen, was die Bildfarbe und die Tonalität negativ beeinflusst. Soweit ich weiß, nur einige Sony-Modelle können dieses Filter aus dem optischen Weg entfernt werden, so dass die Kameras wirklich nützlich für Infrarot-Fotografie. In einigen Kameras wird dieser Filter mit dem Tiefpaß kombiniert, der verwendet wird, um ein wenig Unschärfe das Bild hinzuzufügen, um die Möglichkeit der Moireacute-Muster im E-300 zu reduzieren, kann es auch mit dem Staubschutz kombiniert werden, aber es ist unklar Wenn es wirklich ist. Sowieso, dieses und die mechanischen Zwänge, bilden die Anti-IR-Filterentfernung unmöglich. Infrarot-Empfindlichkeit: Meine IR-Sitzung mit dem E-300 zeigt, dass der Belichtungskorrekturfaktor bei der Aufnahme mit dem Infrarot-Hoya R-72-Filter etwa nur etwa 7 EV mdash eine überraschend hohe Infrarot-Empfindlichkeit ist Andere Olympus-Kameras Ive versucht (E-10, E-20, C-5050Z, C-5060WZ). Das bedeutet, dass der E-300 trotz der fehlenden Livebildvorschau (fehlt in allen digitalen SLRs außer E-10 / E-20) in der IR-Fotografie sehr nützlich sein kann. Dieser Ansatz ist exklusiv für die E-1 und E-300, patentiert von Olympus und kreativ als Supersonic Wave Filter (es ist kein Überschall, und es ist nicht ein Wellenfilter eine andere sinnlose Klappe). Wenn er aktiviert wird, verwendet er Ultraschall (25 kHz) Vibrationen, um die meisten Verschmutzungspartikeltypen von der Staubbarriere (oder Tiefpaßfilter) zu schütteln und sie (hoffentlich) auf eine klebrige Oberfläche in der Spiegelkammer aufzufangen. Das ist wichtig. Stellen Sie sich vor, jeder einzelne Staubkörner von jedem Filmrahmen, der auf allen Ihren folgenden Rahmen auftaucht und sich im Laufe der Zeit ansammelt, und Sie werden sehen, was ich meine. Oder überprüfen Sie die Fülle von Staub-entfernende klebrige Tupfer, Gebläse, Bürsten, Voodoo-Sticks und Gebetskügelchen, mit allen anderen (austauschbar-Objektiv) SLRs dies ist, was mich zu halten, um meine fixierte Linse E-20, in der Hoffnung, dass Eines Tages wird jemand kommen mit einer Art von Lösung. Nun, das hat Olympus getan. Der Wert von 25 kHz ist eine Korrektur der 350 kHz, die ich ursprünglich gepostet habe, eine Information zu wiederholen, die in einer anderen Rezension zitiert wurde. Die Korrektur folgt der Erklärung von Herrn Masaharu Hamada von der BCT RD Abteilung in einem Interview, das auf der E-Fotografija Web site im Oktober 2004 veröffentlicht wird. Basierend auf meinen ersten Erfahrungen und einigen Berichten Ive erhielt von E-1 und E-300 Benutzer, die Ultraschall-Entstaubung wirklich funktioniert, obwohl ich würde immer noch die Freigabe der Spiegel-Kammer, um Elemente zu minimieren, und in den saubersten möglichen Bedingungen. Update von September 2005: Meine monatlichen Schecks von klaren blauen Himmel Frames haben noch zu enthüllen den ersten Staub Fleck über den Imager und Im Wechsel zwischen den Linsen ziemlich oft. Das System scheint wirklich zu funktionieren Es bleibt unklar, wie oft man die Kamera nach Olympus schicken muss, um das Klebeband zu ersetzen. Die Staubabschreckung wird bei jedem Einschalten der Kamera eine Sekunde lang aktiviert. Für eine bessere Effizienz des Prozesses, sollte die Kamera in der normalen aufrechten Position zu diesem Zeitpunkt sein. Sensor-Reinigungsoption: Ja, aus dem Menüsystem Die Option "Reinigungsmodus" im Menü "Einstellungen 2" klappt den Spiegel zur Seite, öffnet den Verschluss und friert die Kamera in diesem Zustand ein, bis sie ausgeschaltet ist. Dadurch ist die Staubbarriere für die Reinigung zugänglich. Ich hoffe, es wird nicht oft gebraucht werden, sicher nicht so oft wie bei digitalen SLRs anderer Hersteller, fehlt die Entstaubung Feature. Mindestens zwei Bewertungen, die ich gesehen habe, sagen, dass der Reinigungs-Modus den Ultraschall-Staub-Shake-off-Prozess aktiviert. Ein offensichtlicher Fehler. Weißabgleich: Auto Manuell 8 Presets 4 benutzerdefiniert Referenz In früheren Olympus-Kameras funktionierte der Auto-Weißabgleich, außer für Haushaltsglühlampen, unter denen das Bild noch nicht für die Rotverschiebung kompensiert wurde. Meine Tests zeigen, dass die E-300 ist nicht schlechter in diesem Bereich. Die Voreinstellungen umfassen Glühlampen (3000K und 3600K), fluoreszierende (4000K, 4500K, 6600K), sonnige (5300K), bewölkte (6000K) und offene Schatten (7000K). Ich bin froh zu sehen, endlich, jede Voreinstellung mit dem entsprechenden Symbol und die Farbtemperatur keine große Sache markiert, aber es hat Olympus ein paar Jahre gedauert. Besser spät als nie. Die Referenz-WB-Einstellung wurde ursprünglich von Olympus in der E-10 eingeführt, aber es begann nur im C-5050Z richtig zu funktionieren. Dies geschieht, indem man die Kamera auf eine neutrale (weiße oder graue) Oberfläche zeigt und der Kamera (aus dem Menü) sagt: das sehe ich neutral, weiß oder grau. In den 5050 und 5060 funktionierte das sehr gut, so dass beste Ergebnisse unter schwierigen Bedingungen. Auf der E-10 / E-20 und E-1 hat das Feature einen eigenen, dedizierten Knopf an der Kamerasfront aber leider nicht auf der E-300, einer der ersten Anzeichen dafür, dass dies ein Economy-Modell ist. (Sie können der benutzerdefinierten OK-Taste das Referenz-WB zuordnen, dies ist jedoch aus mehreren Gründen nicht so gut.) Vier benutzerdefinierte Einstellungen können manuell zwischen 2000K und 10000K in mehreren diskreten Schritten eingestellt werden. Unfortunately, the captured reference WB cannot be entered into one of these slots. You could do it in C-5050Z and C-5060WZ, and I found it very useful (for example, setting up two different, metered presets for tabletop photography). The E-1 has four reference WB memory slots, too. The absence of this option in the E-300 is really a shame, as the feature can be implemented entirely in software. Setting the white balance by reference causes the camera to actually take a picture, and then analyze it in order to come up with the right setting. At first is seems a bit strange, but when you look at this closer, it isnt: how else can you do it in an SLR, where the CCD itself is used to process the information) Another omission is the external white balance sensor. Roughly speaking, this sensor (present in the C-5060WZ and in E-1) allows the camera to tell if a scene is red because the object itself reflects red wavelengths, or because the light used to illuminate the object is red. In the latter case the color balance should be corrected towards cyan, in the former mdash it shouldnt. This looks like some corner-cutting again, but Im not sure if and how it will affect real-life results. (This is not just the cost of the sensor: to use it, the camera needs a second, independent, color temperature readout circuitry.) Note of May, 2005: While in most cases the auto WB in the E-300 delivers very good results, I have noticed occasional problems when images shot outdoors with large amounts of green are overcompensated into magenta. Sometimes I see this effect in just one frame of otherwise almost identical shots taken within a few seconds from each other: quite a random behavior and quite difficult to understand (a consistent overcompensation would be easier to explain). This happens even after Ive upgraded to the Version 1.2 of cameras firmware, and Ive never seen this behavior in other Olympus cameras I have used extensively in the past (C-3000Z, C-5050Z, C-5060WZ, C-60, E-10, E-20), except maybe, to some extent, in the E-1. As I said, this happens quite rarely, but it can be quite annoying. I hope another firmware upgrade will address the problem mdash it is hard to believe Olympus is not aware of it. plusmn7 steps in 20K () increments Those adjustments can be applied individually to any of the presets (including user-defined ones), and will be recalled when that preset is used. The adjustment increment is my guess: I suspect the step to be the same as in the E-1 larger changes can be done by just switching to the next preset. (The cameras Advanced Manual is not advanced enough to bother us with things well never be able to understand.) Instead of marking the corrections in degrees Kelvin, Olympus uses these steps (of undocumented value), and does it in a quite confusing way. Applying a positive correction of say, 5 steps to a setting of 3000K gives, as a result, the white balance of 2900K. Yes, I know, for some historical reasons a positive step means make it more blue, but this is counter-intuitive: add 5 steps of 20 to 3000 to get 2900 Three frames, 50K, 100K, or 150K apart The WB bracketing step can be set to one of these three values. I dont find much use for this feature: this magnitude of adjustment is easy to apply in postprocessing. Note that the camera does not actually take three pictures here just one, and then it applies three color corrections to three saved files. Therefore this has no real practical advantage it may be aimed at those reviewers who evaluate cameras by counting tick marks in a feature list. Yes, both static and random The static noise (including hot pixels) is handled by subtracting a dark frame from the original recorded image, very much like in many other cameras. This works very well for hot pixels, somewhat less for the lower-amplitude component. When you activate this feature from the menu, the camera will actually use it for exposures of four seconds and longer, where it actually makes a difference. See my E-300 dark noise analysis for more on this. In most cameras, the random noise (occurring at all exposure levels) is filtered out at the stage of converting the raw photosite readings into pixels. All cameras do it. This is always a tricky process, regardless of how smart the filtering algorithms are, and you can always find a subject on which it will result in loss of detail. While Olympus claims to be using an improved dynamic denoising algorithm, Im still skeptical. This is also why Im not paying much attention to any camera noise measurements, as they can only show the noise after that filtering, without any regard to the lost image detail. The E-1 has an additional random noise filtering feature, using another, more advanced, algorithm, turned on from the menu system and incurring a cost: extra processing time. In the E-300 this option is not available. For a general introduction to noise issues, refer to my Noise in Digital Cameras article. Color space: sRGB Adobe RGB This defines how the colors are represented by a mixture of three basic components. According to what Ive read, the Adobe RGB color space is capable of capturing a wider range of colors than sRGB. As the translation into a color space takes place when raw image is being converted into RGB (JPEG, TIFF), the choice is irrelevant when you save images in the raw mode (ORF files) you can postpone the decision until the conversion is done in postprocessing. Once that is done, however, any subsequent conversions will not bring any improvement: once information is lost, it is lost. The only time when I experienced (with my previous cameras, that is) visible problems with sRGB color representation was when shooting some flowers, especially in shades of deep violet and purple. Image adjustment: Saturation Sharpness Contrast Gradation We have learned to expect saturation, sharpness and contrast adjustments to the process of converting raw image data into an RGB pixel field. All three are included here, each in a plusmn2 step range from the default (with the steps being whatever the designers chose). The E-300 is missing an option to boost an individual color component, neither has it the skin tones preset (both present on the E-1). New in the E-300 (and E-1) is image tonal gradation adjustment: normal, high-key, or low-key. Olympus is not really specific about how this is really achieved, but I would imagine that this adjustment lifts or lowers the middle of the tonal response curve, therefore moving the midtones up or down without changing the limits of the tonal range. This may be a nice addition to available image adjustments, but I havent use it much, preferring to do it in postprocessing. Lens correction: Light fall-off Geometric distortion (In postprocessing only)Introducing these two in the E-1, Olympus caught the competition with their pants down, really. The Four Thirds lenses, in addition to the usual, expected data, provide the camera with their characteristics regarding these two flaws, especially hard to avoid at short focal lengths (wide angles). I can bet this information is passed either as an interpolation table (linear magnification or light loss as a function of radial distance), or as a set of polynomial coefficients both ways would serve the purpose just fine (actually, for lens vignetting the data has to be aperture-specific). This information can be then used to reconstruct the right image. For light fall-off it can be done simply by applying a multiplicative correction to pixel brightness for geometric distortion mdash by moving the computed RGB values for a given photosite to a different pixel, along a radial line. Simple and ingenious. The geometric distortion correction is not available in the camera, you have to use the optional Olympus Studio software (150) to use this feature the included Olympus Master does not include it. I have tried it and, indeed, it works well, adjusting the degree to the focal length as needed it works both with raw ORF and JPEG image files. Note of April 20, 2004: While the originally shipped firmware did not allow for light fall-off correction in-camera, Version 1.2 does (it can be activated from the menu system as shading compensation). Image file format: ORF (Olympus Raw Format) JPEG (three compressions) TIFF (uncompressed only) Images stored as ORF files retain all original information captured by the camera, without applying any adjustments, and without interpolating the photosite output values to RGP pixel components. Therefore you may treat ORF files as digital negatives, before any darkroom work is done. This may be the safest way to store your pictures for critical applications. In real life, however, I found that saving images as low-compression JPEGs is all I need most of the time I have yet to grow as a photographer to really need the raw storage option. Im wondering when camera makers will start using the JPEG2000 (.jp2) format, which has better image quality at the same compression rate (or higher compression rate at the same quality). The format has been around for a while, and all better image processing or cataloging programs support it I think it is time. Black and white, sepia This can be applied while shooting (but also in in-camera image-editing, see below). Anyway, I prefer to do it in postprocessing, having more control. The E-300 offers rudimentary editing of raw images: resizing and conversion to monochrome. I consider this a feature of tertiary usability: doing it in postprocessing gives you more options. Image dimensions (pixels): 3264times2448 (8 MP, native) 3200times2400 (8 MP) 2560times1920 (5 MP) 1600times1200 (2 MP, UXGA) 1280times960 (1 MP) 1024times768 (XGA) 640times480 (VGA) The non-native resolutions are available only for files saved in the JPEG image format. The 320times400 pixel size puzzles me a bit. Why not just the full size, just 2 larger in each dimension Compact Flash Type I or II In spite of all attempts to unseat it, the CF standard became predominant in digital cameras, at least those which can accommodate this card size. Notice that Olympus gave up (as it did already in the E-1) the two-slot option. The camera will recognize the FAT32 file system, which makes it usable with cards of more than 2GB capacity. (As I dont have a card with more than 2 GB, Im not sure if the camera also does FAT32 formatting.) A good choice. The 1:2.7 compression ratio is hard to tell apart from TIFF, even under a close scrutiny. 1:4 is good enough for all but really critical applications (for which I would use ORF anyway), and 1:8 is just fine for most uses. A native-size image (7.62 MP, see above) compressed to a JPEG will be written as a file of about 2.9, 5.7, or 8.5 MB (assuming the compression factors are as specified by the manufacturer). This varies from one image to another anyway, depending on the amount of detail. On average, Im getting slightly higher compression ratios than these shown here. It should be noted that Olympus traditionally uses lower JPEG compression ratios (higher quality) than most of the competition. For example, Canon 20D (7.81 MP) compresses JPEGs down to about 3.6 MB (fine, 1:6.5) and 1.8 MB (normal, 1:13). While this may speed up the camera operation, some people may find these values a bit too high. The TIFF files remain uncompressed (although there is a lossless compressed TIFF format in existence), using about 23 MB per image. Actually, with full-information raw ORF on one side and low-compression JPEG on the other, I dont see a need for this format. Olympus raw format is, contrary to what I thought before and to what most reviews say, uncompressed. As only one color component per pixel (really: photosite) needs to be saved, ORF files are still much smaller than TIFFs. The raw file size is 13.4 MB (14,127,616 bytes). 7.62 MP (7,998,272 pixels) with two bytes (one color only) per pixel means 15.24 MB if, however with bit packing (which is not compression), there will be just 1.5 bytes/pixel, i. e. 11.43 MB. Add to this any overhead information, and 13 MB makes perfect sense. Besides, compressed files would vary in size, at least a little. Quality settings: SHQ (Super High Quality) HQ (High Quality) SQ (Standard Quality) This, of course, refers only to the JPEG format. In a somewhat strange approach, compression ratios, as discussed above, and image dimensions (in pixels) are first assigned (see below) to three quality settings . and only then the photographer chooses in which setting images are saved. I find it confusing and unnecessary. Switching between these three settings is fast it requires the usual button-plus-wheel routine. The compression/size combinations are assigned to these settings as pre-defined or user-defined: The SHQ combination is predefined: the native (3264times2448) image size and 1:2.7 compression, period. For HQ also the native size is always used, but you may pre-set the compression to either 1:4 or 1:8 in the Settings menu. The SQ setting may be pre-set, again, to any combination of pixel size and compression, except that the largest dimensions are 3200times2400 pixels. This is not really Standard Quality (lowest) but rather a user-defined one, another possible source of confusion. Actually, the first two settings are redundant, as they may be reproduced in the SQ mode, described below. Olympus included them to simplify the choice, but I dont see much simplification here, unless you set HQ and SQ combinations once and forever to your liking, and then only choose between the three options. Although this is better than in previous Olympus cameras (the system in the C-3030Z was really bad), I hope one day Olympus will just introduce two separate, easily accessible, settings: image size and compression. Setting the format in one place and defining it in another is not really a good approach. My suggestion: set the HQ to full-size 1:4, SQ to 3200times2400 1:8, and forget about the whole confusion. Just switch between these three settings. (As I already mentioned, why is the full size not available in the SQ mode, but just 2 less in each dimension) This option allows you to save, in addition to the raw ORF file, a processed JPEG (SQ, HQ, or SHQ as described above). The use, if any, of this feature will depend on your workflow. For example, one may imagine a photographer recording raw ORF files for publication, but also writing high-compression VGA versions to be emailed from a PDA to the editor as soon as the card is removed from the camera. Or a scenario where a lazy photographer (like myself) saves ORF files plus HQ JPEGs, but then keeps ORFs only for frames which need more than just a minor touch-up. USB 1.1, storage-class device Olympus follows the misleading procedure introduced in the USB 2.0 specifications and also used by other manufacturers, referring to this as Full Speed USB 2.0. Regardless of naming, this really is USB 1.1 at 12 Mb/s (or 1.5 MB/s). I suspect this is not much less than the camera/card combination can handle, so it shouldnt make much difference. The USB port is, like in all other Olympus cameras Ive used, hidden under a rubber door at the left-hand side of the camera body. The door is made slightly differently than in other models, and attaching an USB cable to the camera becomes quite inconvenient. A minor, but quite irritating quirk. SLR, using Porro prism and groundglass Do what you may, but nothing beats SLR viewing. It is, however, not free mdash and not just in terms of manufacturing costs and mechanical complexity it also precludes live electronic preview, which may come handy in some situations. (Unless, of course, you use a beam-splitting mirror or prism, like in the E-10 or E-20.) This said, Olympus surprised us by using a unique, side-swinging mirror in the E-300. This unusual design (used, I think, only once before: in the Olympus Pen half-frame in the 1960s) allows the designers to move the finder away from above the lens, therefore reducing the overall height of the camera. The downside is one more mirror in the viewing optical path. This also means that the eyepiece is not directly above the lens, but at the left end of the camera body. Right-eyed photographers (a majority) will find this useful: the camera is easier to hold and your nose does not press against the LCD monitor. Small pleasures of life. As an economy measure (with an added benefit of weight reduction), the viewing system does not have a traditional pentaprism, using a system of mirrors instead (sometimes referred to as Porro prisms, which is not quite the same in this case). One of the first things I did was to compare the viewfinder with that of my old E-20. Surprise: the finder in the older camera is larger and much brighter (the latter, no doubt, due to larger lens aperture, but remember that in the E-20 only a part of the incoming light is used for viewing). Still, the finder in the E-300 is quite usable with the included zoom lens (better with brighter lenses), and as good as finders in Canon 300D and Nikon D70, or in the E-1 (which was a surprise). This simplifies many things. The matte screen installed in the E-300 has a central circle and three autofocus marks (with the active focusing point flashing red). This feature has been included, I suspect, just to satisfy the reviewers. With the small viewfinder image in digital cameras (see below) I doubt the DOF preview can be really useful. There is no separate button dedicated to this function (the E-1 has one), but the OK button on the back can be customized to do that. 94 width and height, 88 area Decent, better than in many film SLRs, but I would prefer 100 (like in the E-1). The current value means that I cant see 12 of the final image area. If you crop your images tight (as I do), this makes a difference. These data are as published by Olympus. My own averaged measurements, performed at F32 mm, are very close to 93 in each dimension, with accuracy better than 0.5, which gives 86 area coverage. Close enough. 100 at F50 mm, infinity This may, at the first glance, look good for those who remember the olden days with SLRs providing a 100 magnification at 58 mm (which was the reason why that focal length became quite common). Modern, popular SLRs show some corner-cutting, and values of 70-80 are more often used. To compare the viewfinder image size against a 35-mm film SLR it would be more honest to use the same EFL (equivalent focal length) in those terms the E-300 can claim 50 at EFL50 mm. To quote the Ladies Man of Saturday Night Live . this is really small . The Canon 300D claims a magnification of 80, and the Nikon D-70 mdash 75, both at F50 mm again. These numbers may look not as good, but divide them by proper focal length multipliers (1.6 and 1.5, respectively), and in both cases you arrive to 50 mdash your viewed image magnification, at the same lens angle, is exactly the same in all three cameras. Using the same method (actual, not equivalent, focal length), the finder in my old E-20 (with image just slightly larger) would have to be described as having a magnification of about 220 at F50 mm, and finders of video cameras with a 4-mm sensor could boast a magnification of 1000 or more, while still providing a tunnel vision. This clearly demonstrates how misleading specs can be if they are misused, and in this case they are. From -3 to 1 diopters Thank you on behalf of all middle-aged men out there. The adjustment knob is very well placed: easy to reach with your eye at the finder, yet difficult to move by accident. Actually, I find it better than in the E-1. Finder information: Shutter and aperture Autoexposure mode AE lock Exposure compensation Metering mode Autoexposure lock White balance override Flash needed and OK Autofocus confirm/fail AF area mark This is lots of information, but all of it is crowded in a narrow text column to the right of the viewscreen. Some people may like this arrangement, others, especially, but not only, glass-wearers, would have preferred the display to be below the viewing area. I am in the second group: wearing glasses, Im unable to see the information display without moving my eye to the left. Update of September, 2005: After nine months of using the camera I can barely remember that the information display is there at all. Usually I dont see the display, and I do not bother to peek to the side to do it. I consider this to be a really bad design, perhaps my most severe misgiving about the E-300 ergonomics. This value is supposed to say how close to the finder eyepiece does your eye have to be to see the whole viewed area. Im unsure, however, how exactly it is defined, and whether various manufacturers use a standard method to measure it. Until I know that, this is just one more number, not really meaningful. Eyeglass wearers will be able to see the whole viewed area without a problem, but not the information display next to it mdash see above. Mirror lockup: Yes. This feature has been added in Version 1.2 of the cameras firmware. From the menu system you can set the time interval between the mirror and shutter activation to anything between 1 and 20 seconds. With smaller size and weight of the E-300 mirror (area and weight four times less while cameras total weight remains the same) this feature is less important than in a 35-mm SLR still, it can be useful in critical work, protecting you from camera shake caused by shutter release action and mirror movement. For reasons unknown, Olympus refers to this feature as anti-shake instead of using the generally accepted term mirror lockup. The term can be confused by some buyers with anti-shake mechanism of some lenses from other makers systems. Other features: External eyepiece cover Interchangeable eyecups The EP-3 eyecup (or rather eyeglass protector) is supplied with the camera. I found it quite disappointing, being just a piece of rubber, pushed onto the eyepiece mount in a clumsy fashion, instead of sliding over the mount. Clearly, an economy model. It works just fine, though, if you do not have to remove it. The E-1 interchangeable eyecups do not fit the E-300. The accessory VA-1 angle finder can be used (with a special adapter), handy for tabletop photography. The E-300 does not have an internal eyepiece shutter. Instead, you can use an external eyepiece cover (EP-4, supplied), mounted in place of the eyecup, which has to be removed (see the remark above). Worse, the cover cannot be attached to the camera strap (a solution used in many film SLRs) you have to carry it separately. Providing a better (slide-on) eyecup would cost Olympus 15-20 cents a strap-attachable cover, nothing (just a different plastic mold). Boo. If you never shoot from a tripod, fine: you will not see a difference. I thought, however, that the E-300 is aimed at a somewhat more demanding user. For me (infrared photography) an eyepiece shutter, or at least a better cover, would be a lifesaver. Mechanical, focal-plane, electronic control This type of shutter is what we grew used to, accustomed to 35-mm SLRs, although it is not the only possible solution (see my lengthy discussion of this in the E-1 write-up ). Still, everyone else is using focal-plane shutters on digital SLRs, so this may be the best compromise. The shutter travels vertically (i. e. along the shorter dimension of the image). Speeds: 30s - 1/4000s, bulb The top speed of 1/4000 s is very good. Times longer than one second are rather for bragging rights than for actual, frequent use, but they do not cost anything to implement, so why not. At this frame size and at 1/4000 s, the shutter slit width is just 0.6 mm, the same as in a 35-mm camera with a vertical shutter at 1/8000 s. It would be quite challenging to narrow the slit even further, still providing the required accuracy. On the other hand, faster speeds could be implemented by increasing curtain travel speed, see below. On the opposite end, the longest available shutter speed depends on the exposure automation mode, lens used, and the ISO setting. Shutter priority and manual modes: always 30 seconds Aperture priority: 30s at ISO 100 with an F/3.5 lens dropping down reciprocally with ISO setting, and also being reduced when a lens darker than F/3.5 is used Program mode: 1s at ISO 100, with the same ISO dependence as above. The bulb setting allows for exposures of up to 8 minutes. Max. flash synch speed: This is the longest exposure at which there is a time instant when the whole sensor is open to the light at the same time (and thats exactly when the flash fires). Reducing this time further would require increasing the speed with which the shutter curtains move across the frame. This is not impossible: because of the smaller frame size, the curtains in the E-300 move as fast as those in 35-mm SLRs with maximum synch speed of 1/90 s, hardly a big deal. Therefore I will not be surprised if one of the next E-System SLRs will offer flash synchronization at 1/400s or so. Some dedicated Olympus flash units allow to use faster speeds with flash see the Flash section below. Actually, my tests show proper synchronization with a non-dedicated flash (or, using the wording from the Advanced Manual . a non-specified one) up to 1/300s or so: just a trace of image cut-off at 1/320, and none at all at 1/250 s). Not as soft and precise as on the E-10/E-20, but good enough. As expected. In a nice touch, the camera allows you to set the AF regimen (single or continuous) to be preset individually for each of these modes. 2.5 FPS up to 4 or more frames This frame rate is for the single AF mode, when the camera focuses only at the first shot of the series. In the continuous AF mode I clocked the E-300 at about 1 FPS, understandable with the need for re-focusing between frames. The four-frame maximum holds in ORF, TIFF, and full-size JPEG formats compressed at 1:2.7 and 1:4. At the compression of 1:8 the camera will keep up with your shooting until the card is full. Similarly, reducing resolution to 5 MP you can shoot 15 frames or so with the 1:4 compression. Not too shabby. Most of the people complaining about the E-300 sequential mode, comparing it against Canon 350D and Nikon D50 forget that the 1:8 (worst-quality) compression ratio on this camera is less (better quality) than Normal settings on competing models. Besides, at this shooting speed I would rather worry about focusing than JPEG compression artifacts. This is the value which limits the number of sequential shots discussed above. 64 MB is no longer as impressive as it was just a few years ago: fast memory is getting cheaper every month. The E-1 has a 128 MB buffer. Yes, 2 or 12 seconds Same as in other Olympus (and not only) models. Remote release: Infrared, optional Wired, optional, needs optional battery grip Via USB cable, with optional Olympus Studio The old, trusty RM-1 infrared remote (or the simplified RM-2 both work with the E-300) is no longer included in the box you have to buy it separately for 30. For a gadget manufactured an the expense of 1 or less, I consider this a rip-off. All previous Olympus models Ive used (up to my wifes recent C-60Z ) had the RM-1 or RM-2 included. Addressing a common complaint about the C-series cameras, the IR remote release delay can be now set to 0 or 2 seconds. This it useful in close-up work, except that the remote sensor is still placed at the front of the camera (another one on the back would help a lot). Disappointingly, the E-300 body does not have a wired remote socket, which is provided only on the HLD-3 battery grip, allowing you to use the RM-CB1 cable release. Having to buy an unrelated accessory just to use a wired remote is something I do not like. The E-300 can be also triggered remotely from the 150 Olympus Studio application, which also offers image download and a wide range of remote camera adjustments. Obviously, the CCD cannot be used for light metering in the E-300, and not only because of the mirror deflecting the light therefore the camera has a separate set of sensors for this purpose. It remains unclear how many sensors does the metering scheme use see the lengthy discussion below. Metering modes: ESP Center-weighted Spot This is a nice selection, with the center-weighted mode thrown in for those who got used to it during their silver-halide years. ESP stands for electro-sensitive pattern which means exactly nothing, but suggests some kind of matrix (pattern) metering. Olympus keeps quiet about details, especially on how many sensors does the system use (in the original press release they used a term 3-zone, but this can be interpreted in a number of ways). In some literature Olympus provides a graph which does not answer this particular question at all, showing only how the central and peripheral readings are averaged. With no information available from the maker, I have to make an educated guess, and the outcome may surprise you: I suspect that the whole method depends on just two light sensors. One sensor, I think, meters the light at a well-defined, tight spot in the center, and one provides a diffused area reading. The combination of these two measurements is then used to determine the overall exposure, with the weights assigned to both results depending on the ratio. (A similar system, also referred to as ESP, worked very well in many Olympus film cameras.) This could explain why Olympus never mentions the number of sensors: two dont look good on paper (regardless of how well they may perform), compared with seven, fourteen, or even forty used by some competitors on the specs-driven market. They also never use the term matrix or multipattern, as this would be clearly a misrepresentation. If you come across any details on the subject, please let me know, and I will update this information. One or two Web sources Ive seen mention five light-metering sensors in the E-300, without providing any other explanation. Im not sure how reliable this information is. Neither does Olympus specify where the light sensors are located. Based on a number of hints I am almost sure they measure light scattered off the viewing screen, but this is just another guess. Obviously the ESP system in the E-300 is something entirely different than ESP systems in their non-SLR digital cameras, where the imager itself is used for metering. Is the Olympus system less accurate, or less smart than multi-pattern ones Not necessarily so. So far my results with the E-300 dont give me much to complain about (which is something). Still, I think real matrix metering could, in principle at least, be more accurate, providing a better protection against washed-out highlights. ESP and CW: EV 2 to 20 Spot: EV 3 to 17 (ISO 100, F/2.0 lens) This is OK, enough for most uses, if not really impressive. Keeping in mind that EV 0 corresponds to one-second exposure at F/1.0 (Leitz Noctilux), EV 2 means 1 s at F/2.0 or 2 s at F/2.8 on the other end, EV 20 is 1/4000s at F/16. Note: some Olympus sources quote EV 1 as the low-light limit. Keep in mind that with the bundled F/3.5-5.6 lens metering range shifts upwards, i. e. to higher light levels. Near the wide end (with the maximum aperture close to F/4) this range will start at EV 4, and this will be 1 s at F/4.0. All this can be stated much more simply: with any given lens the E-300 AE range starts at one second exposures at full aperture . Did you really need me to tell you that (Well, maybe you did. ) I was able to check these numbers (both those by Olympus and my re-phrasing ESP metering mode) with use of a dimmer in my living room they are right on the nose, just a bit on the conservative side. (Note: while the metering range depends on the maximum lens aperture, the quoted ISO value is just the reference point at which the EV range is defined it defines what actual shutter/aperture combination will be used.) Exposure control modes: Program (shiftable) Specialized programs Aperture priority Shutter priority Metered manual Time exposure (bulb) As expected in a camera aimed at advanced users. The shift feature allows you to adjust the shutter speed or aperture from those set by the program the camera will then adjust the other variable in the opposite direction so that the overall exposure remains the same. While this is a useful feature, I dont like the way in which it is implemented: by turning the control wheel without pressing any button. This makes it too easy to activate the shift by accident and without even noticing it. (The tiny s next to the program P indicator can be easily missed, especially in the finder display.) More, there is no quick way to cancel the shift: you have to turn the wheel in the opposite direction until the tiny s disappears (trust me, you do not want to do that in a hurry), or power the camera off and on again. Shooting a series of pictures with the program accidentally shifted by, say, 3 EV, can be a disaster: instead of using the 1/125 s shutter speed, common for overcast outdoors pictures, you will be unknowingly using 1/15 s. This inconvenience is aggravated by the fact that you do not usually see the data display in the viewfinder. The specialized programs, referred to by Olympus as scene modes, provide beginners with convenient, pre-packaged sets of settings for some typical applications. There are fourteen these programs provided: (1) Landscape, (2) LandscapePortrait, (3) Night Scene, (4) Night Portrait, (5) Fireworks, (6) Sunset, (7) Portrait, (8) High Key, (9) Macro, (10) Documents, (11) Museum, (12) Sports, (13) Beach and Snow, and (14) Candle. Five of these are directly accessible from the mode dial (1, 3, 7, 9, and 12) for all others you have to set the dial to Scene and use the menu system. The latter offers miniature thumbnails of example pictures and brief explanations, which are often, if not mostly, not so useful, sometimes even funny. (Example: Fireworks: Suitable for shooting fireworks at night. Thank you, I would have never guessed.) The Macro mode should be really referred to as a close-up one, and its capabilities depend on the lens used. For example, with the bundled 14-45 mm lens the closest focusing distance is 38 cm which provides, at best, a field width of about 15 cm calling it macro is not right. Some of the specialized programs may be marginally useful, modifying image parameters otherwise not accessible from the user interface (for example: enhancing greens and blues in the Landscape mode). To make them, however, of real use to a non-tyro, they would have to be well-documented: an ambitious user would like to know what the camera is going to set. I believe that people who buy a digital SLR will not use the scene modes the feature makes sense in entry-level cameras, but not here (the E-1 does not have this feature). Once again, it is the press and reviewers who may be to blame: this camera has 26 scene modes, while that one just four. And the market follows. This is a wide range, indeed. The compensation step is chosen from the menu as 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV. While for most uses plusmn2EV is plenty, Im using a 4 EV compensation in infrared applications with the E-300 the wider range came handy Three frames, adjustable step. The bracketing step can be chosen as 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV. Im a bit surprised not to see the five-frame option not that I really need it, but because it is so cheap to add. A possible explanation is that five frames worth of data (five raw images) will not fit into a 64MB buffer, requiring just 3 or 4 MB more. Still, all Ive ever used with other cameras was three-frame bracketing, so no complaint here. Passive TTL, phase-detection Passive sensors, used in all SLRs, sit behind the lens and determine the focus based on the light passing through semi-transparent parts of (or slits in) the cameras mirror. This is not a cheap solution, but it has proven itself in 35-mm AF models. I would love to see some drawings with details on the E-300. Phase-detection systems have one major advantage over the contrast-detection ones: they know not only how much is the image out of focus, but also in which direction this results in some speed advantage. Generally, AF systems on digital cameras (especially non-SLR ones) lag behind those on film SLRs. And here I was for a nice surprise: the autofocus in the E-300 seems fast, responsive and accurate. Importantly, some cameras Ive used before (including Olympus E-10 and E-20, which I both liked a lot) would sometimes confirm autofocus while not having focused at all. Not so with the E-300: if there is no detail to lock on in at least one of AF areas, the camera will not be fooled see also AF Release Lock below. Update of February, 2005: After two months with the camera I may say Im very happy with its AF performance: it is fast (the total shutter release lag less than 0.5 s), positive, and accurate. At long last, Im enjoying in a digital SLR an autofocus system comparable to a decent film camera. Number of sensors: This looks like a no-nonsense approach. Some cameras claim five, nine, or even more AF sensors, but more important is how easy are those sensors to fool under less-than-ideal conditions. Actually, many users (myself included) prefer to rely just on the center cross-sensor and AF lock. You may allow the camera to choose which sensor to use, or make this decision yourself. In the latter case, the adjustment is done via a button sitting directly under your right thumb. The central sensor is sensitive to both horizontal and vertical detail the other ones mdash to horizontal only. This is a limitation. The sensor chosen by the system is indicated with a flashing marker on the viewfinder screen, and an audible signal is also provided, which I found so useful on the E-10 and E-20, missing it a lot on the C-5050Z and C-5060WZ. Autofocus EV range: From EV 0 to EV 19 This is the range of scene brightness in which the autofocus is supposed to work. Olympus does not specify at what maximum lens aperture this range is defined Im assuming that this is F/2.0, the same as in the specification of autoexposure range. This would mean that with an F/4 lens mounted on the camera, AF will work from EV 2: 4 seconds at F/4.0, ISO 100 mdash quite impressive and two EV values below the minimum autoexposure level anyway. I wasnt able to verify this claim to the full extent with the bundled lens, but for EV 4, which is the lowest AE light level, the AF performed just fine, with room to spare, so I have no reason to doubt the Olympus specification. Focusing modes: Single AF Continuous AF AF with manual override Manual In the single AF mode the focus is locked as you half-press the shutter release button. In continuous AF mode, a half-press activates focus tracking. The manual override allows you to use the manual ring to tweak whatever AF came up with. Manual focusing is done with a ring around the lens, but this ring is not mechanically coupled with lens mechanism it just activates the servomotor which actually does the job. From my experience with the E-10/E-20 I found this solution not as precise as a mechanical coupling, although better than the one using buttons or rockers. The direction of focus response to the ring movement is programmable from camera options. Locked by half-pressing the shutter release, see above. (The feature can also be assigned to the OK button in the back.) I wish Olympus decided to include a programmable setup of how the AF lock button and half-pressing of the release work together, like they did in the E-1, where each of these actions can lock one selected variable, or both. While that setup looks complicated and confusing in the E-1 manual, it is no rocket science, and you have to do it just once, setting the camera up to your preferences. OK, so the code takes some room in the firmware mdash so get rid of the moronic pictures illustrating the scene modes. AF release lock: Single AF: Focus priority Continuous AF: Release priority (Both can be changed.) In the focus priority mode the shutter will not fire until proper focus has been achieved in the release priority it will fire regardless. Note of April 20, 2004: Originally these settings were hardwired firmware version 1.2 allows them to be changed to your preferences. The defaults make good sense anyway. None, flash used instead The built-in flash provides a similar functionality, emitting a short burst when the shutter release is half-pressed, regardless of whether a picture is actually taken (all reviews Ive read got this wrong). The burst is emitted even if the flash is disabled from the menu, i. e. not used for actual picture-taking. This has been greeted as not-so-good news, as it leaves available-light shooters without a focus aid. In reality, however, the AF works OK down to light levels below the autoexposure range, so there is no real need for an available-light AF assist. I took a series of six frames with the built-in flash in a dark room, using the flash AF assist. All pictures were focused just fine, although sometimes the camera decided to use the assist twice before deciding that the focus was OK. The camera will also use the deep-red AF assist on Olympus dedicated flashes: FL-50 and FL-36. Ive tried this feature with the latter, and my pictures in a pitch dark room were focused very well. GN 11 m at ISO 100 While the built-in flash is rarely a satisfactory light source for picture taking, it may come useful providing a fill-in for outdoor pictures. The guide number of 11 m means that at F/3.5 the range is about 3 meters, while at F/5.6 mdash two meters. The built-in flash can also be used as a fill-in when an external one is being bounced off the ceiling. It does not, however, offer high-speed synchronization (you need an FL-36 or FL-50 for that, see below) enabling this flash in shutter priority mode resets the shutter to 1/160 s. When the Manual Flash option is set, the intensity of the built-in flash can be adjusted manually between 1/64 and the full output. This may be useful in some types of shooting, and to trigger a slave unit. Unfortunately, various flash settings are scattered among three different menus: flash mode in one, flash compensation in another, and manual flash activation in yet another one. I dont like this. Olympus dedicated flash system FL-36 (Picture by Olympus) This system, possibly the best in industry, includes the pocket-sized FL-20. the newly-released FL-36, and the top-of-the-line FL-50. Of these, FL-36 and FL-50 have the multi-burst feature, necessary for synchronization at shutter times faster than 1/180s. The FL-50 and FL-36 have the bounce and swivel capability. Olympus dedicated flashes co-operate seamlessly with the cameras exposure automation (in program, aperture - and shutter priority modes). I discovered that my three-year old Olympus FL-40 unit does not work with the E-300 mdash or rather works as a non-dedicated unit only. A quite unpleasant (and expensive) surprise: it worked OK with all previous Olympus cameras up to the C-5060Z and E-1 (sic). Am I being paranoid, or is this a case of obsolescence by design The tiny FL-20 works in TTL-auto with all older Olympus models I have, and the older FL-40 works fine with the E-1. You have to remember, that when traveling with the E-300 and en external flash, you have to carry two battery chargers: one for the cameras BLM-1, and another for the NiMH AAs used by the flash unit. Third-party flashes (including ones by Metz and Promaster ) which worked with previous Olympus digital cameras may or may not work fully with the E-300. Dont ask me via e-mail mdash as soon as I know anything, Ill post it in the E-System section. Olympus dedicated hot shoe There is no flash socket provided, but Olympus offers an optional flash cable with a hot shoe foot on one end and a standard PC socket on the other. Flash modes: Auto (on demand) Auto red-eye burst Slow red-eye burst Slow (first curtain) Slow (second curtain) Fill (always on) Off This covers all bases. The Off setting will disable the built-in flash even if it is in the raised position (it still may be used for AF assist, though). First - and second curtain synchronization determines whether the motion streaks (image created by the ambient light) precede or follow the frozen part of the image (created by flash burst). The fill ratio is adjusted via the flash compensation setting, see below. Adjustment step will be the same as in regular exposure compensation, set to 0.3, 0.5, or 1.0 EV. The flash compensation is applied in addition to (not instead of) the overall exposure compensation. It can therefore be used to adjust the ratio of flash to ambient light. I resort to this adjustment quite often, therefore I was quite unhappy to discover that it can be done only by going into the menu system (remembering which of the menus it will be). In the C-5060WZ you could do that by pressing flash and compensation buttons together, and turning the control wheel, a much more agreeable solution. Schade. Max. flash synch speed: This is the fastest speed available when the flash works normally, i. e. generating a single burst of light. While the E-300 will not let you use a dedicated flash with speeds faster than this, proper full-frame synchronization is achieved up to 1/320 s I checked that with w third-party flash. Some of the dedicated Olympus flash units (FL-50, the new FL-36) can provide synchronization at any shutter speed. They do it by emitting a fast series of short light bursts, which cover, for all practical purposes, uniformly the time interval during which the shutter slit is traveling across the film frame. A downside is that the effective guide number of your flash will be significantly lower than in the normal mode, when the whole frame is exposed to the flash at the same moment. While for most uses it is not a critical feature, it may be useful for fill flash in bright daylight, for example, in sports photography. With most of third-party (non-dedicated) flashes the E-300 ma be able to synchronize up to 1/32 s mdash as long as the flash operates well below its maximum light output (i. e. no bounce, moderate distances). Basic power source: One BLM-1 Li-Ion battery From my experience with the C-5060WZ, I have learned to grudgingly respect this proprietary, rechargeable battery. While a set of four NiMH AAs is cheaper and easier to replace in emergency, the BLM-1, like other, similar Li-Ion batteries, provides lots of juice and has a low self-discharge rate. If you have a close look at similar batteries used by Canon and Nikon cameras, you may strongly suspect that this is basically the same battery, only with contact placement changed just enough to make all three types mutually incompatible. I suspect a case of greed prevailing over common sense. The battery is inserted through a hinged door in the cameras bottom, accessible even when the camera is mounted on a tripod. The E-300 no longer has a battery-securing latch, present in all previous cameras using the BLM-1, a possible sign of cost-cutting, but I can live with that. The manual says that BLM-1 will work at temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius (it also says that the camera itself is limited to temperatures above freezing). Notes on lithium-ion battery use: Olympus states that the BLM-1 battery is good for about 500 full recharge cycles. Other sources are less specific, claiming generally 300..500 cycles for this battery type. Additionally, the batteries age regardless of whether they are used or not: a life span estimate is 2 to 3 years. (Do not stock up) Optimum storage: in a cool place, about half-charged. Li-Ion batteries have no memory effect, so they do not mind being only partially discharged before being recharged again. To the contrary: a series of such shallow cycles is better for battery longevity than one complete cycle. Some sources recommend one deep discharge every thirty partial cycles or so. Olympus warns against using third-party batteries in their cameras. Obviously, one may suspect they are not impartial in this recommendation (last time I checked at BH, the BLM-1 was 55, and third-party replacements 35), but Li-Ion batteries are quite difficult to make, and there may be a technically valid reason beyond it. So far I had only one Reader reporting a cheap (really cheap) replacement fail after just seven months of use, with no harm to the camera (C-5060WZ). 10.8 Wh (1500 mAh at 7.2V) This is a respectable amount with a non-SLR camera like the C-5060WZ it will easily carry me through a full day of outdoors shooting. The E-300, however, uses more power (you have to move the mirror, after all, and bigger lenses also take more to zoom and focus). For comparison, a a set of four 2500 mAh NiMH batteries has a total voltage of 4.8 V and therefore stores 12 Wh of energy, which is, nominally at least, slightly more. The usable capacity of such set may, however, be lower than that of the BLM-1, as the voltage delivered under load to battery terminals drops with discharge, and may reach a camera-defined usability threshold before the battery is really empty. How does this translate into real-life use After fully charging the new battery I started exploring the camera, learning how to use it, and taking pictures. This, obviously, involved a heavy use of the LCD monitor and computer connection, all without an external power source. Two days later, after 564 frames taken (true, only a few with the built-in flash), Ive got a low battery warning. At another occasion, a single charge lasted through a three-week trip, with slightly more than 200 frames taken. As unscientific as this conclusion may be, I consider this to be a solid performance. This is the same charger as included with the 5060 and 8080. It has no separate power brick (nice), and charges a battery in about two to five hours, depending how emptied it is. A fast (one-hour) charger is being sold separately by Olympus, but Im not that desperate. Additional power sources: AC power adapter Battery grip/holder Olympus recommends the AC-1 power adapter to be used with the E-300. You may need it for longer studio sessions or when the camera is connected to a computer for more than just quick upload. The external power socket is quite unusual (proprietary), so, for a while at least, the AC-1 adapter will be the only one working with the E-200. The HLD-3 battery grip looks very similar to the B-HLD20 for the C-5060WZ. It accepts two BLM-1 batteries (but will also work OK with just one), and provides two extras: a vertical-position release button and a socket for the RM-CB1 cable release. (The socket still has that awful, easy-to-lose screw cap.) There is also a release lock, and a storage for cameras battery compartment cover. September, 2005: The HLD-3 arrived to the U. S. a few months after the E-300 and is currently priced at 95 (BH). I would recommend spending your money on something else, unless you have to use a wired remote. Monitor type and size: Liquid crystal, color TFT 1.8 (46 mm) diagonal 135,000 pixels This is what everybody else uses. Olympus claims improved image contrast and wider viewing angle, but so does everybody else in every new model. The monitor is referred to as HyperCrystal LCD, which means nothing, and putting this as a blurb just below the monitor itself just offends my intelligence. Welcome to Kmart. There are already larger (2 or more) monitors in some cameras on the market, but this takes the valuable real estate on the camera back and uses more power, so Im willing to live with the 1.8 size. Oh, well, maybe 2 would be nice, like on the Pentax ist DS. The monitor pixel count (it could be translated in about 320times425 resolution, if not for the fact that these pixels are not really pixels, see below) is OK, similar to that of other digital SLRs, but nothing to write home about. Even with my myopic eyes I could easily use twice that number, i. e. 40 more of linear resolution. This is not so expensive in terms of power usage, as most of it goes for backlighting, therefore depending on physical size, not the resolution itself. Note: The pixels in the specifications actually mean individual red-, green-, or blue-colored dots, therefore not being actual pixels. Olympus follows here the misleading convention used by all camera manufacturers. On your computer monitor (LCD or CRT) every pixel has three such dots. I would risk an estimate that the nominal 135 thousand pixels of this display is really equivalent to that value divided by three: 45 thousand, and this translates into a 180times240 pixel equivalent. (This is not just Olympus the same correction should be applied to monitor pixel counts claimed by all manufacturers.) Information shown: File name and number Exposure and processing parameters Brightness histogram Overexposed areas This is lots of information, and not all of it is, of course, displayed at the same time. Once the playback has been activated with its dedicated button, pressing INFO toggles through six different display states. Of these I find the brightness histogram most useful in verifying the proper exposure, although highlighting the saturated highlights can be also useful: of all exposure pitfalls, the burned-out highlights bother me most. Three out of six image playback modes. Yes, up to 10times The magnification up to ten times is useful in judging the sharpness of images. At 10times the selected fragment of the image is shown in 74 of actual pixel size (already accounting for the misleading pixel count, see above), so if it is out of focus, you will be able to see that, although not so clearly. Increasing the monitor resolution would make this a really useful feature. You can scroll through the image while it is magnified, and pressing the INFO button shows the full view with the enlarged fragment marked, very much like in image samples Im showing. 4, 9, or 16 frames As expected set from the menu. Camera status display While in the shooting mode, pressing the INFO button brings up a Control Panel, offering a complete (or almost complete) display of cameras picture-taking settings. Changes to those settings can be made while this display is active, and some users, myself included, may prefer this way of operation. It may be a subjective issue, but I find the Control Panel on the E-300 less readable than that on the C-5050Z and C-5060WZ. The black and white on blue display is not as clear as the almost-gray one on those cameras, and the text also seems to be not as crisp. Why mess with something which worked just fine Update of February, 2005: After two months with the camera, Ive got used to this display, but I still dont like it, compared to the old one. The TV output is switchable between both standards. Remember, however, that it does not provide real-time viewing (this is true for all current digital SLRs, where the sensor is not exposed to the light until the picture is actually taken). Generally, the controls on the E-300 look like they evolved from those on the E-1 (and, indirectly, the E-10/E-20). This is a good thing, as the E-1 handles well. The bad news is that in a few cases the changes from the E-10/E-20 are not improvements. The first impression in handling the camera is that the control layout, while quite good, but not as good as that in the E-10/E-20. I would say that even the less expensive, non-SLR models by Olympus, C-5050Z and C-5060WZ, have somewhat better ergonomics. This does not mean that the E-300 is bad in this aspect I like it more than the Canon or Nikon models in this price range (and perhaps beyond). One new thing is a vertical row of buttons to the left of the LCD monitor actually, they have been moved there mostly from the left-hand side of older Olympus models. For some users this may make accessing some functions less intuitive, as the button location becomes less unique. On the other hand, most of competing models use the same approach and nobody seems to complain. (Picture by Olympus) Another noticeable difference is the absence of the monochrome (low-power) LCD control panel on camera top (the one included on the E-1 was very nice). Its functionality has been taken over by the Control Panel display on the TFT monitor. I thought I would be missing the top display, which used to provide a visual feedback to the basic (but not all) adjustments. Actually, this is not the case. Pressing the Info button brings up the Control Panel as described above, and all adjustments are reflected there while they take place. As in most of the upper-tier Olympus cameras, the controls are adjusted using the press-and-turn approach: pressing a button selects the setting, and turning the control thumbwheel changes its value. Actually, this has been slightly modified in the E-300: you do not have to keep the button pressed, the camera offers you a brief grace period in which you have to start to turn the wheel if you let the button go. This is more important than it may seem, as in this model Olympus uses also the arrow buttons for the selection, and holding one down while turning the wheel would not be too convenient: both are located at the right of the cameras back. The grace period allows me to use my right thumb for both parts of the operation. Note of September, 2005: Version 1.3 of the firmware (last July) allow you to set this grace period to 2 or 5 seconds, or to infinity. While the wheel is being turned, the camera provides a visual feedback on the monitor screen: a small window with the value being adjusted. The monitor activates itself automatically if it was off before the operation, and turns off again after a second or so of wheel inactivity. This largely replaces the functionality of the top-deck LCD, but there is no indication in which direction to turn the wheel for non-numeric entries I often find myself going through the full cycle, while a single step in the opposite direction would be enough. This works differently if you do the turn-and-press operation while the Control Panel is used to show all camera settings. In this case, pressing the button highlights the setting, and turning the wheel changes the value without removing the whole Control Panel off the screen. I like this mode of operation, because I can have the whole camera status at a glance this reduces the danger of using some non-standard setting, forgetting to reset it, and then applying it to other shots without being aware of it. Note of April, 2005: After five months of using the camera I can say that the wheel itself is a little too easy to move accidentally (in the program mode this would lead to unintended program shift). Having it partially covered and/or moved to the left would be better. All this said, I find the control buttons in the E-300 not as precise and positive as those in the E-10/E-20 and E-1. Nothing bad, bot not the same feel. The menu system is called to the monitor screen by pressing of a dedicated button. The menu organization and readability are, I believe, a step back from the 5050/5060: the fonts are less readable, and the blue background does not help. I also have some issues with the menu structure. There are five menus: two for picture-taking adjustments, one for display, and two for general setup. The assignment of particular functions to these five is not always obvious, and sometimes mdash counter-intuitive too often I find myself scrolling through the settings of one shooting menu only to find that what I need is in the other one. Additionally, for no apparent reason, there is no consistency in the interface: some menu entries, when activated, offer a choice from a submenu, while others call the same single-value window as the one used in thumbwheel operations, except that now you adjust the values using the up - and down-arrow keys. I was trying to find some regularity in using one or the other approach, but the designers choice seems to be quite arbitrary here. I find the menu system somewhat less polished than in the previous Olympus models Ive used. This is possibly a sign that the camera was rushed to the market to meet the Christmas shopping deadline. My biggest complaint is that flash exposure compensation is available only from the menu system (no dedicated button or other external control). This is one adjustment I use often when shooting outdoors with fill-in flash, and I would be happy to have it more easily accessible, even at the expense of some other adjustment. (No, the customized OK button cannot be assigned to this function, even if not needed for any other purpose.) Im also not quite happy with the location of the OK button. After using the cursor keys, pressing it usually requires a repositioning of the camera in your hands. This did not seem to be a problem when I was learning the E-300 in the first few days with it, but the inconvenience seems to grow as you become more used to the camera. Of course, the controls are a highly subjective issue, so treat my opinions here as possibly tainted by personal likes and preferences. My general impression, however is that while the control system in the E-300 is quite good, it is not as good as I have expected, and not quite as good as in the other higher-end Olympus cameras I have experience with. My E-300 image sample page contains some images which may give you an idea of the image quality from this camera. Generally, I can say Im mighty pleased with its performance, even with the bundled zoom lens. To those who may object to such unscientific terms: for me photography is a way to get mighty pleased with the results. With a background in physics and some hands-on experience in instrument optics I can read MTF plots, and I know how to do spectral analysis of noise. Still, a partial or incompetent use of hard data is worse than no use at all. As the bottom line, either I like the final results or not, and my results are pictures, not Fourier frequencies. Whether you may agree or not, at least read this article by Ken Rockwell. both informational and entertaining. First of all, the economy lens seems to be optically good enough in the whole focal length range. There is no objectionable softening of image in corners (just a tad at wide angle), no objectionable chromatic aberration. At the widest angle the zoom shows an average degree of spherical aberration (barrel), more at close distances not impressive, but not bad. Wide open, it also has a slight vignetting at all focal lengths, which will not be objectionable in most situations, but in some it will. By good enough I mean good for most of Im doing, including prints up to 30times40 cm (12times16), although at this size I would rather use the lens slightly stepped down, to improve resolution and remove vignetting. If you want a better lens, go for the 14-54, F/2.8-3.5 zoom, which sells for 450-500. Well, you get what you pay for, there is no way to outsmart the system The Kodak imager performs well: the dynamic range seems OK, and I had problems finding any traces of purple fringing around high-contrast transitions. (I have seen some chromatic aberration, but this is a different effect, due to the lens optics exclusively.) The colors are usually as good as I have learned to expect from Olympus: eye candy (in the good sense of the word). Contrary to my expectations the E-300 provides a better and more consistent automatic white balance than E-1, verified by shooting with both side-by-side this in spite of the E-1 having an additional, external WB sensor. Now to the not-so-good news. Similar to some other recent Olympus (and not only) cameras, I believe the default in-camera sharpening is too strong: I can find white bounces at some high-contrast lines. This is a common problem with mass-market cameras, designed to impress a casual user performing a casual image inspection, and the E-300 is not as bad as many non-SLR cameras Ive seen, but still. Setting the in-camera image sharpening to minimum (-2) brings this to an acceptable range. (I was quite surprised to see some reviews suggesting juts the opposite, but I stick to my opinion here.) Another complaint: the dynamic denoising algorithms (not to be confused with the noise filter on the E-1) are also set, I believe, too aggressively. This can be seen in some grass areas, where the process can remove image detail, leading to a fuzzy effect. Again, the market is to blame for this (along with the camera maker), more willing to accept these artifacts than any noise in large, smooth areas of the image. Unfortunately, the aggressiveness of the noise filter cannot be controlled in camera or in raw image processing in the Olympus Master . (It is, I believe, adjustable in the Olympus Studio . if you have a 150 to spare.) I think this problem can (and should be) addressed in a firmware update. A hotly debated issue is that of the noise at ISO 800 and 1600. True: while ISO 800 is usable, if not spectacular, ISO 1600 mdash barely so, preferably with a noise-removal program. Still, we are talking ISO 1600 here, a really dim available-light shooting, not something I would need often. Note of September, 2005: There is also the elusive problem with the Green/Magenta shift, showing rarely but unexpectedly, and difficult to reproduce, as already described in the Image Processing section. It happens rarely, but when it does, it is ugly. I dont see it lately: was it fixed in Version 1.3 of the firmware The bottom line is that, complaints aside, the overall image quality is very good, enough to satisfy a semi-serious user like myself, and even a serious one. In addition to the Quick Start poster, the box contains a printed copy of the Advanced Manual (in the U. S. three copies: English, French, and Spanish, but none in the U. K. Im not sure about other countries). This is (in the States, at least) a welcome departure from the Olympus recent policy of providing the full manual only on a CD, but it doesnt take an Einstein to figure out that this is what the buyers want. Advanced Manual is really a misnomer: Basic Manual would be a better name for this well laid-out and nicely printed booklet of about 200 pages. The booklet is slightly larger than the previous ones a good balance between portability and readability. Regarding the contents, I never had a high opinion of Olympus documentation, and this is no exception. I have to admit that the quality of the writing and coverage is improving from year to year, but still not enough. The language of the English version is better than before (with some room to improve, and remember that English is only my second language), but the coverage still remains shallow and sometimes misleading. The major problem is that Olympus does not seem to believe that anyone with IQ above 80 and any experience in photography will ever buy the E-300. The manual contains very few things you wouldnt be able to figure out by just playing with the camera, while it lacks answers to many questions a photographer may ask about it. More, because the meaningful pieces of information are few and far between, they are easy to miss when our reading of the manual becomes just a casual glancing through the text which brings nothing of interest. On the brighter side: some of the passages are quite entertaining. Let me just quote one example: The advanced shooting techniques used by professional photographers are drawn from years of experience. Now . youll be able to take advantage of those same sic advanced techniques simply by pressing a few buttons. Poor professional photographers, having wasted all those years instead of just spending 1000 to buy this camera. This will never happen again. Software: Olympus Master Staying in line with the long tradition of the Camedia Master (of which the Olympus Master is a slightly modified version, the program is still disappointing. Still, you may need to install it on your computer for any of the following reasons: Raw (ORF) image conversion and initial adjustment Access to complete EXIF data Upgrading of the camera/lens firmware. In EXIF data readout, the Olympus Master does a better job than any general-use programs, Ive tried, like ACDSee or Photo-Paint . which leave out or misinterpret some of the information. As a general image management or editing application, however, Olympus Master does not stand up to many entry-level applications. For more, see a separate, brief review. Every major player in the digital camera field (except for Sony, who is not really a traditional camera maker) has at least one model competing directly (or almost so) against the E-300. Well, with the recent price drop, even the Olympus own E-1 competes against its younger sibling. The cameras Olympus is competing against feature - and price-wise are Canon 300D (a. k.a. Digital Rebel), Nikon D70, and Pentax ist DS. From the samples Ive seen, all three are capable of good results. All have bodies priced below 1000, with the Rebel being least expensive of the bunch (unfortunately, it shows). (Yes, I checked out the Canon 350D a. k.a. Digital Rebel XT, improved upon the original, but Im still not impressed.) Two best cameras in the 1500 price range seem to be, at least in my subjective view, the Canon EOS 20D (finally Canon got almost everything right), and Olympus own E-1, not necessarily in this order. They are, however, more expensive than E-300. The Maxxum 7D by Konica Minolta is too new to tell if Minolta broke its stretch of disappointing cameras with attractive specs (for the record: Im a long-time enthusiast of their film SLRs), it is also selling at 1500 for the body alone. Still, Ive tried the controls, and I like them a lot, more than on any other camera from any maker, and certainly more than in the 20D. If you are reading this section in search of an advice which of the inexpensive digital SLRs I would recommend, youll be disappointed. Most probably, every one of the cameras Ive mentioned will deliver very good results, and your tastes and preferences may play a bigger role than any objective differences in cameras specs and performance. This is a good camera, even better considering the price (April 2005: you can get the E-300 with the 14-45 mm lens at less than 750 from a respectable seller). After trying it out, I decided to keep it (and I have to get another one for my friend he still wants one). What I like about it is the general image quality, the solidness of construction, and wide range of adjustments available. The controls are OK mdash not as good as in the E-10/E-20, but still. My biggest problem is with the placement of the viewfinder data display. I also wish the cameras width were 15 mm or so less. On the image quality front, my complaints about excessive dynamic noise filtering and the occasional Green/Magenta shift should not obscure the fact that images from the E-30 are usually very, very good. Most importantly, we have to see the camera compared to others in the same price range. I believe this one offers more than the competing models mentioned above, although my direct field experience with those is limited only to the Canon 300D/350D. If you are a happy Canon, Nikon, or Pentax user, especially with an investment in lenses, I will not try to persuade you away from sticking to that brand. If, however, you are an aspiring amateur without such a commitment, then I can easily recommend the E-300 as an excellent choice you will not regret. As always, the popular digital photography news and reviews sites offer detailed looks at the E-300: Review by the Megapixel Magazine. detailed and informative. Review by Steve Jenkins at Steves Digicams Review by Phil Askey at Digital Photography Review First Look by Jeff Keller at Digital Camera Resource First Look by Shawn Barnett and Dave Etchells at the Imaging Resource. Other reviews worth your attention are listed below: Review at PhotographyBLOG. a right mix of detail and readability. Review at DCViews. relatively brief, but focused on results. Most importantly, there are Web sites run by dedicated amateurs (like myself), with a wealth of information. At this moment I can point you to one: Alfred Molons myolympus. org (formerly: molon. de) has a good E-300 section. with lots of information and links to other resources. My other articles related to the Olympus E-System cameras. Evolt reg and Olympus reg are registered trademarks of Olympus Corporation. This page is not sponsored or endorsed by Olympus (or anyone else) and presents solely the views of the author. Posted 2004/11/16 last updated 2007/08/13 cleaned up 2013/11/18