Test Drive of New Olympus E-300 Digital SLR Camera

What are you smoking. The Oly uses a Four-Thirds CCD Image Sensor and is an 8Mp while the Nikon is 6. It also uses a subsonic dust removal. Overall it might be a better value than the Nikon espcially if the promise of the new 4/3 smaller adn cheaper lenses comes true.

The article failed to discuss some of the key technical features of the camera---what is the magnification factor? Does it have a dust removal function? Does $999 include the lens? What are the specifications of the lens? The article discusses only the shape, the weight--typical of what an amateur pointer-and-shooter would be interested in.

I prefer reading articles from Digital Photography Review at www.dpreview.com. They are much more professional than PC World when it comes to digital photography. At a time Nikon D70 wins the title of Camera of the Year and the top honors in color accuracy and sharpness by all other magazines I've read, PC World recently rates the image quality of my Nikon D70 at the bottom of all other cameras (the only 'fair' rating of all d-cameras). People may be interested in knowing what is going on in PC World.

It's alway interesting to see brand loyalty show through in the comments. If you reread the article above it does stat that the $999 price includes the lens. Also, if you only read one article about a product and make a judgement based upon that one article you aren't doing enough research. Find other articles and read them! I currently have an Olympus C-5050 and am very pleased with it. I am looking forward to getting an E-300 for the increased capabilities that come with an SLR (I do own 2 film SLR's). And yes, I am going to be brand loyal. The C-5050 was rated extremely high (96/100), better than most any digital camera out there at the time including Nikon and Canon. I am counting on the E-300 to be everything I am looking for in a D-SLR.

Ironically, in quick response down there to someone speaking of brand loyalty and DPreview, check out how Canon loyal (re:fanatic) they are and then talk about equanimity and equal treatment of reviews. And yeah, I'm a Nikon guy of 16 years.
Now, the E-300. I have also had a chance to play with it and I happen to like the camera a great deal. Great LCD screen, the dust filter is AWESOME. For an entry level, it has excellent speed and very low noise in the images, even at the higher ISO's. I love the in-camera RAW editing... and the dark mapping NR is the best in class since the E-1. It's no 20D, but then it doesn't have to be. However, for those looking for high image quality for a good price need look no further. Oh, and the E-system optics are going to be legendary. Mark my words. It is also worth stating that Olympus currently has the best reliability record in the D-SLR market. That says a lot to me.

Just got my Evolt (E-300) last Saturday and have "toying" around with it since... Got to use it, familiarizing with the tons of features, test-taking pictures around the house and actually during a Christmas party. In one charging, so far, took a total of a little over 200 pics, 60% or more using flash, and battery with still a lot of charge left! I must say that I'm pretty impressed... The start time was virtually sub-second instantaneous, lag time between shots were sub-second fast and images super sharp without any noticable abberations, so far. Burst mode at HQ 3264x2448 image mode I think will just go on and on (actual initial test took more than a dozen pics) for as much as I hold the button and I guess the remaining memory (plentifull with the 1Gig Extreme I bought) will allow. At 1,299.00 CA$, a true SLR 8 MP camera at start up or out of the box, sufficiently equipped with lens, tons of basic and advance photo features, is certainly more than what I bargain for. I'm definitly in love with this camera!

Brand loyalty with cameras seems to be almost stronger than that for cars and pickup trucks. Nothing Chevy can do will ever impress a Ford lover and vice versa. If Olympus sticks with their "E" line of digital SLR's, they will probably end up in the same boat as they were with the OM system. Nikon and Canon owners will always look down on them. Today, though, many film shooters are "discovering" the OM system for the first time and realizing in hinsight that in many ways the products were superior to the Nikons and Canons from the same era.

ditto1958 - I will never EVER see Olympus as "superior to the Nikons and Canons", but feel free to think that way, you are after all, an obvious Olympus fan.

While it is nice to have a good camera and the E-300 is a good camera, it is the photographer that makes a picture. One can quivel over test charts and such but a photographer can make beautiful images with the tools at hand be it a disposable film camera or a state of the art digital SLR. It is easy to nit pick but taking pictures is what I enjoy regardless of the condition outside there is always another picture waiting for me.

I like the dust removal thingy, but the crop factor is 2x, which is not a good thing if you like wide angle like me.
If a shot is too wide, you can always crop it, but if it's too narrow ..

Here's another view of the Olympus E-300 at the Photokina:

http://www.photokina-show.com

Just got my E-300 .... i was looking at replacing my D70 with a D70s but OMG do i love this camera.

whoa Nellie . . . the E-series boasts the widest angle digital lens in the industry (7-14mm); its conversion factor (2X) is a blessing to sports and wildlife photographers; and the Kodak 4:3 CCD is just starting to gain stride as a standard in direct competition to 2/3rds and full-gate CCD/CMOS competition. In fast moving shoots, the back of the camera has just the right quick access buttons for essential alterations to shooting parameters. Short of being bullet-proof, the E-300 is a very useful tool in, or outside the studio.

Well it floats my boat !

I just bought my first DSLR and I love it. Yes and Olympus E-300. I have to agree with Trico that it's ultimately the photographer who end's up taking the good picture. I have taken many great picture's so far with the Olympus E-300. Check some of them out here for an Idea of what it has to offer. http://myolympus.org/folder.php?id=515