wrotniak.net: The Olympus E-System

The Olympus E-System

This section contains articles related to the E-System (Four Thirds) cameras by Olympus.

For Micro Four Thirds, see my OM-D section.

Cameras
Lenses
Accessories

Samples and Galleries
Technical
Help and Guides

Software and Firmware
Miscellaneous

Check also:
Photo News — what's new in my photography section
Nitty-Gritty, technical articles on photography in general

The Olympus E-System camera line is gone, with the last flagship, the E-5, released in early 2010. There are, however, many of these cameras around, so I hope these pages will be still of use to many FT users and enthusiasts. Therefore I am planning to maintain this section in forseeable future.

In the meantime, the recently released E-M1 (Micro Four Thirds) provides — at long last — a full autofocus compatibility for all your legacy Four Thirds lenses (with a lens adapter, that is). Let us hope this full AF compatibility will be now a standard feature, so that the current FT users can gracefully migrate into μFT.

In case you haven't noticed, Photo now include a dedicated Micro Four Thirds section.

Cameras

Olympus E-5: the E-3 Reloaded: The latest (and last) SLR from Olympus. Farewell to Four Thirds. (Upd. 2013/11/03)
Olympus E-620 Review and Reference: A great camera, loaded with features and delightful to use, but image-wise a tad behind the E-30 or E-3 (Upd. 2009/06/28)
Olympus E-450: Another new camera from Olympus, or just the E-420 repeating the grade? (New 2009/04/11)
Olympus E-620: The second Olympus SLR of 2009 looks really good; perhaps the time to upgrade from your E-500? (Upd. 2009/06/26)
Olympus E-30 Review and Reference: Smaller and lighter than the E-3, with imaging at least as good, and some minor improvements (Upd. 2009/11/29)
Olympus E-30 First Look: Just a cheaper, smaller, lighter E-3? I don't think so, but judge for yourself (Upd. 2009/01/26)
Olympus E-420 and E-520: the generation of 2008 — how do they differ from the Class Of 2007? (Upd. 2009/02/11)
Olympus E-3: A Technical Review, all you want to know about this camera, and some you don't (Upd. 2009/11/29)
Olympus E-3: The First (and Second) Look, the first installment of a series (Upd. 2009/02/14)
E-410 User Report, written by Ricardo Hernández with my editorial help (Upd. 2007/11/01)
The E-510, a technical review and reference: This camera delivers, and not just at a price (Upd. 2009/06/26)
German translation PDF (Upd. 2008/04/27)
Quick notes on the new E-510: what's new, and is it really the greatest Olympus SLR up to date? (Upd. 2007/10/04)
The Class of 2007: the E-410 and E-510, non-identical twins from Olympus — a comparison and commentary. (Upd. 2007/10/04)
Hands-on E-400 preview of a pre-production camera, with (tentative) samples. Looks good. (New 2006/09/19)
The New Olympus E-400 — an E-500 on a diet? Compare both models and see what's new. (Upd. 2006/09/19)
Panasonic DMC-L1 — the first non-Olympus Four Thirds camera, and why it matters (New 2006/03/05)
Surprise! The E-330 SLR — another first by Olympus (Upd. 2006/02/27)
E-500, a technical review of this attractive camera; I bought it and I would do it again. (Upd. 2007/08/05)
E-500, the New Generation — an introduction to the E-500, comparing it against the E-300 (Upd. 2005/10/17)
The E-300 — a detailed, technical review and report (Upd. 2005/09/29)
E-1 User Report, John's hands-on impressions, with my annotations (Upd. 2005/10/02)
My E-1 review, annotated by John Foster (Upd. 2005/01/20)

Lenses

Four Thirds lens list — still growing, and still up to date (Upd. 2013/11/18)
Zuiko Digital 70-300 mm F/4.0-5.6 — a nice surprise: an attractive and affordable super-tele for birding (New 2008/05/06)
Zuiko Digital 12-60 mm F/2.8-4.0 — a lens you want to have a meaningful relationship with (Upd. 2008/04/10)
Zuiko Digital 7-14 mm F/4 — if you need a wide angle and top performance, this is an obvious, if a bit expensive, choice (Upd. 2008/01/31)
Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm F/2.8-3.5 — I'm having a look at this trusty wide-angle workhorse (Upd. 2007/12/15)
Zuiko Digital 50 mm F/2.0 macro — a User Report with image samples from this outstanding optics (Upd. 2007/04/01)
Zuiko Digital 40-150 mm F/3.5-4.5 — a review, user report, and image samples shot with the E-1 and E-300 cameras (Upd. 2005/12/01)
Two Olympus standard zooms: a comparison of the 14-45 mm lens with the 14-54 mm one (Upd. 2006/11/01)
Sigma 55-200 mm DC — another tele zoom option, and a nice surprise at the price (Upd. 2006/11/06)
Sigma 50-500 mm DG — a serious tele zoom for a serious user; the article finished at long last, with image samples (Updated 2009/02/28)
The Not-So-Big Mama — combining Sigma 55-200 mm with a 1.7× lens attachment to get a 680 mm EFL! (Upd. 2008/02/23)
Using legacy lenses on E-System cameras: general introduction (Upd. 2005/04/29)
OM Zuiko lenses — how do they work on E-1 and E-300 (or any other Four Thirds camera) (Upd. 2005/12/17)
The 1.8/50 OM Zuiko on the E-300 — user notes and image comparisons (Upd. 2005/02/05)
Using macro bellows to get really close with your Four Thirds SLR (Upd. 2005/02/05)

Accessories

Flash Units for E-System Cameras, with emphasis on Olympus dedicated models (New 2006/02/25)
The FL-36 flash by Olympus, a less costly option for E-system cameras — and not only (Upd. 2005/11/18)
The VA-1 Angle Finder for E-System SLRs (New 2006/07/04)
The IR-QA Angle Finder, the Polish alternative to the VA-1 (Upd. 2006/08/16)
Viewfinder Accessories for the E-300 and E-500: the EP-5 and EP-6 eyecups, and the ME-1 eyepiece magnifier (Upd. 2006/07/04)
E-1 viewfinder accessories: the FS-2 screen and EP-2 eyecup (New 2005/01/30)

Image samples and galleries

E-620 Image Samples, Part 1: just the first batch, more to come (New 2009/06/26)
E-620 Image Samples, Part 2: real-life travel pictures (New 2009/11/30)
E-620 samples — Full ISO Range: three subjects from ISO 100 to 3200 (New 2009/06/28)
Noise Filtering and Sharpness in the E-620 — how these factors affect the image at various ISO settings (New 2008/07/01)
Image samples from the E-30, Part 1: from the first few days with that camera (Upd. 2009/04/21)
Image samples from the E-30, Part 2: more casual shots, bright color, long lens (New 2009/04/21)
E-30 samples — Full ISO Range: how is the imaging pipeline doing between ISO 100 and 3200? (Upd. 2009/02/13)
E-3 image samples, Part 1: my standard sample subjects, plus a few high-ISO frames (Upd. 2008/06/29)
E-3 image samples, Part 2: images of a more casual kind (New 2008/03/01)
Noise Filtering and Sharpness in the E-3 — how does image quality depend on these factors at various ISOs (New 2008/02/25)
E-510 image samples: how various camera settings affect the results (New 2007/08/12)
More E-510 samples, showing the impressive capabilities of that camera (Upd. 2007/11/20)
Picture Modes in the E-510: samples with some remarks (applicable to the E-410, too) (Upd. 2007/11/20)
Noise filtering and sharpness in the E-510 — an attempt to find the "best" combination; notes on high-ISO performance (applicable also to the E-410) (Upd. 2007/08/14)
E-500 image samples, obtained with two bundled zooms: the 14-45/3.5-5.6 and 40-150/3.5-4.5 (Upd. 2006/10/14)
Noise in the E-500 — how usable are the ISO settings above 400? Background, samples, discussion (New 2006/11/21)
E-300 image samples, shot with the bundled 14-45/3.5-5.6 zoom lens (Upd. 2005/10/17)
An E-300 in the Arctic — how did that camera survive a year of heavy use under adverse conditions, and what results did it deliver (New 2007/03/23)
E-1 image samples, shot with the ZD 14-54 mm lens, including high ISO at night (Upd. 2005/10/07)
My image galleries with pictures shot with E-System SLRs (the images are postprocessed):
- The Polish Tatras (E-620),
- Jane's Irises Revisited (E-30),
- In a Garden Store (E-30),
- National Aquarium in Baltimore (E-510),
- Southern Arizona (E-510),
- Maryland Renaissance Festival (E-510),
- Annapolis Dog Beach (E-500),
- Anguilla (E-500),
- Barbados (E-300),
- Ocracoke Fireworks (E-300)

Technical

Highlight Recovery from Raw Files — a case study, performed on a frame from the E-30 with a little help from my friends (Upd. 2009/03/01)
Random noise in the E-3 and E-30 — a detailed comparison, figures, and discussion, with some data on the E-510 thrown in (New 2009/02/05)
Card writing speeds on Olympus SLRs — a new comparison, using a method more suitable for the fast cards of today (Upd. 2009/02/01)
Apparent SLR Finder Size — a comparison between models from Olympus, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sony (Upd. 2009/02/24)
The xD-Picture Card Abomination — what it is and why do I hate it (Upd. 2009/06/26)
E-3 Image Stabilization — an attempt to measure its benefits (Upd. 2009/02/28)
E-510 Image Stabilization — how well does it really work? Yes, it can be measured, at a cost (Upd. 2009/02/28)
Dark noise and hot pixels in the E-30 — (New 2009/06/29)
Dark noise and hot pixels in the E-3 — (New 2009/04/22)
Dark noise and hot pixels in the E-510 — how does the new sensor fare in this department? (Applies to the E-410 as well.) (Upd. 2007/11/22)
Dark noise and hot pixels in the E-300 — a detailed, if only qualitative, analysis, with some surprises (Upd. 2006/02/27)
Four Thirds Sensor Size and Aspect Ratio — does size really count? Facts, myths, and remarks on the subject (Upd. 2009/02/26)
Depth of Field tables for the Four Thirds format, for focal lengths from 7 to 500 mm (Upd. 2008/01/29)

Help and Guides

Customizing the E-30 — yes, another article in this popular series; with a cheat sheet (Upd. 2009/02/22)
Customizing the E-3 — making the camera work your way, a rather detailed article on that camera's customization and setup options (Upd. 2009/02/20)
Customizing Your E-510 or E-410 — the original E-500 article redone for these siblings (Upd. 2008/03/01)
Customizing Your E-500 — how to set this camera up to your liking (Upd. 2009/02/14)
French translation PDF (Upd. 2007/02/06)
Using Your E-500 — a companion article to the above (Upd. 2007/03/04), also in French (Upd. 2007/03/08)
E-30 noise removal with Neat Image: how this software may make your ISO 3200 images presentable (Upd. 2009/02/05)
E-300 noise removal with Neat Image, a life-saver at ISO 1600 (New 2005/01/17)
Focus bracketing in the E-500 — yes, it works with AF, too! (New 2006/06/18)
The E-500 Reference WB Button Problem — what it is and how to live with it (New 2006/10/14)
E-500 Red Eye Fix — this in-camera editing function seems to be working just fine... (New 2005/12/02)
Infrared photography with the E-510 — some of this camera's features may, indeed, come handy here! (Upd. 2008/08/12)
Infrared photography with the E-500 — largely rewritten after Olympus changed the anti-IR filter in that camera (Upd. 2007/05/15)
Infrared photography with the E-300 — a short report with some samples and observations (Upd. 2005/08/16)
Shooting Fireworks with a Digital Camera — a general article with some information specific to the E-300 and E-500, plus E-300 samples (Upd. 2006/07/01)
Take a Picture of the Moon, illustrated with a number of shots from E-System SLRs. (Upd. 2009/02/15)
Software and firmware
- Olympus Master — a brief software review (Upd. 2005/08/14)
- Firmware upgrades for the E-300 and E-500: what do they change, and what I like and dislike about them (Upd. 2006/07/03)
Miscellaneous
- E-5, E-3, and other leaks or practical jokes — pictures of what the next Olympus flagship SLR might look like, or what can you do with PhotoShop (Upd. 2005/11/24)
- The original E-System announcement (March, 2003), with early camera specs and promotional pictures (Upd. 2003/06/28)