Olympus E-3 Expert Reviews

The Olympus E-3 is certainly the most capable 4/3 DSLR to date. It has plenty of pro-features: a viewfinder with 100% coverage, built-in image stabilization, a weather-proof body and 5 FPS continuous drive. It is certainly as good as several...

Built-in stabilization works for all lenses, 100% Coverage Viewfinder, Mostly accurate image colors, Effective dust-reduction system, Fast and responsive, Excellent build quality

Tendency to under-expose, Below average high-ISO performance, Poor automatic white-balance indoors, Heavy noise reduction at slow shutter-speeds, Slow focusing in low light, Poor ergonomics

The Olympus E-3 is the flagship DSLR of the Four Thirds standard. Officially announced in October 2007, it comes four and a half years after its predecessor, the E-1. The original E-1 was the camera which launched the Four Thirds standard back in mid 2003...

Tough build quality, dust and splash-proof., Effective built-in anti-shake and anti-dust., Live View with fully-articulated screen., Quick handling and broad customisation., Tough build quality, dust and splash-proof., Effective built-in anti-shake a...

Higher noise above 800 ISO than rivals., AF system fast but often searched., Some controls illogically placed., Very tough rival in the Nikon D300., Higher noise above 800 ISO than rivals., AF system fast but often searched., Some controls illogical...

If you're an existing Four Thirds owner looking for a top-end body, the E-3 is a fantastic choice, especially if you're coming from the original E-1 - it's a significant upgrade in every respect. It'll also appeal to owners of other E-series cameras looki...

This big, heavy, rugged SLR camera has extensive advanced controls and fast burst-shooting speed, and can autofocus very quickly.

Rotating, swiveling LCD with live view, Very quick autofocusing

Very heavy

Overall, I enjoyed using the E3. It feels comfortable in the hand, its magnesium body looks and feels durable--ready for extensive time in the field--and operating the controls is quick and efficient. And unlike my experience with many cameras, I could re...

Olympus has been the avant-garde of a few notable DSLR trends like dust removal, live view and the articulating LCD. Initially poo pooed, the first two are now seen on nearly all the usual suspects these days. And in those three areas the big "O" still le...

: The comfiest eyepiece. One-touch menu access to nearly 20 functions. The quickest focusing. Articulating LCD makes Live View a real asset, instead of an afterthought.

: The back of the camera is a jumble. The 2.5-inch LCD is smallish compared with competitors. Employs Olympus's XD memory card format, instead of SD, as the second memory card slot. Presently only two super-fast focusing lenses in the quiver.

It has a shutter speed range

Four years is a very long time in the digital camera market, and four years in the digital SLR market is virtually a lifetime. In the four-odd years between the launch of the Olympus E-1 - the camera that heralded the first all-new SLR system for over a d...

Excellent build quality, weatherproofing, 150,000 shot shutter life, Big, bright viewfinder with 100% view, Articulated screen, Effective sensor-shift image stabilization, Very fast focus with new SWD lenses (less impressive with other lenses, however), I...

Resolution not as good as best in class (stronger AA filter?), though you won't see it in JPEGs, Poor auto white balance in artificial light, Very little resolution and not a lot of dynamic range headroom in raw files, Some ergonomic issues (control layou...

The E-3 ($1699) is the flagship camera in Olympus' digital SLR lineup. It is the long-awaited follow-up to the E-1, which was introduced way back in 2003 (back when our reviews were in purple). Olympus didn't just slap a new badge on the E-1 and call it t...

Excellent photo quality in most situations (see issues below) Optical image stabilization for every lens you attach Superb build quality; body is sealed against dust and moisture Supersonic Wave Filter "shakes" dust off sensor Live view on a flip-out, rot...

Camera tends to underexpose Low light / high ISO performance not as good as some of the competition; banding visible at highest sensitivities Too many buttons on camera body + poorly located front command dial makes E-3 more difficult to use than most Liv...

The E-3's battery life numbers are just about average in this class. Keep in mind that the numbers above are calculated with live view off -- turning it on will probably knock anywhere from 30 - 50 percent off those scores

Nikon and Canon have dominated the professional DSLR market since the beginning of the digital imaging revolution, effectively condemning Olympus, Pentax, Panasonic, Leica, and Sony DSLRs to second-tier status. In an attempt to assert Olympus again in the...