Affordable 8MP E-series DSLR from Olympus
Olympus enters DSLR volume stakes with innovative 8MP E-300
Related story:
E-300/Evolt samples online
The new and highly unusual Olympus E-300 DSLR
One thing a lot of us were asking ourselves when Olympus launched the first of its all-new E-System digital SLRs, the
E-1, last year , was – where was the mass-market consumer model to generate vital momentum for the E-System and the Four Thirds open standard that inspired it?
It's taken a while but here it is, the Olympus E-300 and its design team doesn't appear to know the meaning of the word 'conservative'!
The
full official press release from Olympus and
detailed specifications table are accessible in our
press release archive . This article takes a look at the E-300 on the basis of a brief hands-on with a non-working prototype a month ago, plus some interpretation of the information provided by Olympus on the E-300, optional battery grip, plus two new lower-cost E-System lenses and a new E-System flash.
The digital SLR for everyone
For 'everyone' read 'affordable'
From everything Olympus has been telling us in pre-launch briefings, we're left with the clear understanding that the E-300 is gunning for Canon EOS-300D (Digital Rebel in the US) territory. It's interesting that Olympus has chosen the model name using the same number 300, for a start. You can expect pricing to be very aggressive too. Olympus is using the slogan: the digital SLR for everyone.
Brand new design
But instead of taking an E-1 and stripping features and housing what was left in an obviously cheaper body, Olympus has designed another brand new camera and given it a totally unique and innovative chassis.
For a start, you get 8 megapixels instead of the typical six at this end of the DSLR market. I personally think it's good that Olympus managed this with the E-300 even though I'm on record as saying that the extra couple of megapixels over a 6MP sensor, although undeniably attractive, is not as useful as it might sound. I said that in defence of Konica Minolta's new 6MP
DSLR announced recently and I stand by it from a picture quality perspective. The law of diminishing returns means the leap from four to six megapixels is a very useful 50% increase in resolution, but 6 megapixels is already capable of excellent results, so while an additional two megapixels gives more latitude for cropping, it doesn't represent a revolutionary improvement in fundamental image quality.
Comfort factor
So hang on, I'm contradicting myself!? Actually, no; from a marketing point of view, 8MP compared to 5MP or 6MP is a huge advantage. Here's why;
the E-1 was criticised for offering 'only' five megapixels and yet it's a camera capable of producing very fine results. Undoubtedly, the lack of a comfort factor in the megapixel count of the E-1 put off some buyers. There shouldn't be any such problem with the eight megapixel E-300.
It doesn't look like an SLR
Take a look at our pictures of the E-300. It doesn't actually look like a conventional SLR. It was great fun reading the speculation on various discussion forums about the E-300 when some pictures leaked out earlier this month. Many dismissed the images as fake or some kind of E-System camera with an electronic viewfinder. Of course, the doubters were wrong.
Instead of the usual pentaprism housing above the mirror box, characterised by the trademark SLR top-plate bulge or pent roof, the E-300 employs a 'Porro' arrangement of mirroprs to internally channel the through the lens view to an off-set eye-piece finder. The normal SLR quick return mirror immediately behind the lens is not hinged as usual from the top but the side of the mirror box housing, so it swings like a door rather than a hatch.
From whatever angle, the E-300 looks very unusual for a DSLR
Olympus says that using the Porro viewfinder enables the camera body to be smaller and lighter. It also provides that off-set eye-piece to help avoid noses being squashed against the preview monitor – as long as you are right-eyed of course.
Innovation from an old idea
The digital era can and will inspire a lot more design innovation than we have seen so far and the E-300 is proof that this prediction applies to DSLRs as well. However, the Porro viewfinder is not actually new.
The E-300 has a sideways mirror feeding light from the lens to a Porro arrangement of three further mirrors that replace a conventional pentaprism.
Here is a cross-section of a conventional pentaprism SLR design for comparison
Nikkorex cameras as far back as the early 60s used a similar system in order to maintain the favoured off-set eyepiece that rangefinder camera users were then used to. Many binoculars use a Porro prism arrangement, instead of mirrors and Olympus itself has been using Porro optics in its microscope designs for some time.
Here you can see how far to the left Olympus has managed to off-set the viewfinder eyepiece, making space for the over-size pop-up flash
Is the E-300 a great looking camera? Well, why don't you tell us? A straw poll among journalists who have seen an E-300 produced mixed opinions concerning its aesthetics, but we all agreed it's very distinctive and one thing Olympus has developed a fine reputation for is a feel of comfort and solidity once you pick one of their cameras up – it's there too with the E-300.
E-300 features
The two current competitor models the E-300 must face up to are the Canon EOS-300D and the Nikon D70. Below is a table representing a simple comparison between the three. The
new Pentax *istDS could be a factor too.
| |
Olympus E-300 | Canon EOS-300D/Digital Rebel | Nikon D70
|
| *Price body only, | Estimated to be comparable to Canon EOS-300D | UKŁ649, US$789, EUR€819 | UKŁ799, US$999, EUR€1099
|
| *Price with kit lens. | Estimated to be comparable to Canon EOS-300D 18-55 kit | UKŁ699, US$869, EUR€879 | UKŁ899, US$1299, EUR€1329
|
| Availability | December
2004 | Now | Now
|
| Resolution | 8MP | 6MP | 6MP
|
| Shutter range | P-mode 2s-1/4000th, A/S/M modes 60s-1/4000th, Bulb (up to 8 mins) Manual | 30 - 1/4000th sec, Bulb | 30s - 1/8,000th, Bulb
|
| Flash sync speed (max) | 1/180th sec (1/4000th using dedicated flash setting) | 1/200th sec | 1/500th sec
|
| ISO range | 100-400 (auto ISO mode), 100-800 (manual ISO mode) 100-1600 (expanded mode) | 100-400 (auto ISO mode), 100-1600 (manual ISO mode) | 200-1600
|
| Simultaneous RAW+JPEG? | Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| AF points | 3 | 7 | 5
|
| Continuous shooting | Approx 2.5fps for up to 3 frames in RAW or TIFF mode, variable in JPEG mode | 2.5fps for up to 4 frames | 4fps for up to 12 frames (JPEG), 4 frames (RAW)
|
| Scene modes | Yes | Yes | Yes
|
| Viewfinder system | TTL optical Porro finder | TTL pentamirror | TTL pentaprism
|
| Built in flash guide No. (ISO100, m) | 11 | 13 | 11
|
| Construction | Aluminium die-cast chassis, plastic and aluminium external surfaces | Plastic | Plastic
|
| Sensor dust cleaning? | Supersonic wave filter | None | Nikon Capture software option
|
| LCD monitor size/resolution | 1.8 inches/134,000 pixels | 1.8 inches/118,000 pixels | 1.8 inches/130,000 pixels
|
| LCD monitor area | 1.6 square inches | 1.5 square inches | 1.5 square inches
|
| Battery grip option? | Yes | Yes | No
|
| Dimensions | 146.5 x 85 x 64mm. | 142 x 99 x 72.4mm | 140 x 111 x 78mm
|
| Weight with battery | 660g est. | 640g est. | 700g est.
|
*Typical street price, UK price includes VAT (17.5%), European prices sourced from German vendors, inc. German VAT (16%)
• Olympus E-300 kit includes Zuiko Digital 14-45mm (28-90mm equiv) f/3.5-5.6 zoom
• Canon EOS-300D/Digital Rebel kit include EF-S 18-55mm (29-88mm equiv) f/3.5-5.6 zoom
• Nikon D70 kit includes AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm (27-105 equiv) f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
Tough construction
With its cast aluminium chassis, the Olympus E-300 should be more solid than either the Canon EOS-300D or the Nikon D70, both of which have mainly plastic bodies. Retained from the E-1 is the novel Supersonic wave sensor dust clearing system. Simultaneous RAW and JPEG recording is possible and white balance bracketing too. With no pentaprism housing in the way, Olympus has designed a high position pop-up flash unit to minimise the possibility of red-eye problems. A battery grip with portrait mode shutter release will be an option. You can get one of these for an EOS-300D, but not the D70.
Like the five megapixel E-1, the 8 megapixel CCD sensor in the E-300 uses a full frame transfer (FFT) arrangement that keeps the electronic interconnects under the photosite pits, increasing the area of coverage for each photosite. This means more light is trapped by each photosite and less is lost in the gaps between photosites, therefore boosting the signal to noise ratio of the sensor. However, with more photosites per square millimetre on the chip, it will be interesting to see what kind of noise characteristics the new sensor will exhibit compared to the E-1 and competitor 6MP DSLRs.
Design economy
One thing missing from the E-300 is a separate status LCD screen, perhaps its most obvious design economy. With larger files sizes from the 8MP sensor, it's not surprising to see continuous shooting performance is average, at best. If you didn't like the fact that the E-1 only had three AF points in the viewfinder, you won't like to hear that the E-300's arrangement is the same but unlike the E1 they light up.
To summarise the new E-300, it has distinctive and unconventional looks and novel design, the lure of eight megapixels, it's relatively small and light and it will be priced competitively. The great thing for potential buyers is that they will have even better choice for an affordable DSLR – all three cameras we have compared have their own particularl strengths.
It will be available in late December. Around the same time, Olympus is promising an E-300 underwater housing.
New lenses and flash unit
Two new lenses accompany the E-300 . The E-1's 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 lens is a very high quality optic that is also far from budget-priced. So the E-300's likely favourite partner will be a new, cheaper and slower, 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom, equivalent to a 28-90mm range. Its specification compares well with other kit lenses. The second new lens is also aimed at the budget-conscious: a 40-150mm (80-300mm equiv) f//3.5-4.5 zoom. Both the new lenses will be available in November.
Finally, there is a new FL-36 flash unit, again filling a gap in price and performance between the existing FL-50 and FL-20 units.
The non-functioning E-300 we were shown at the beginning of September was finished in black and an anodised style metallic brown, though the official publicity shots depict it in all-black finish
So what are your first impressions of the new E-300? Use our
feedback link to share your thoughts now.
