Olympus Evolt E330 7.5MP Digital SLR Camera with 14-45mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 7 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000EBA0G4
• Item model number: E-330
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,025 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer
Since the introduction of the first single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, photographers have prized SLRs because they can see with the naked eye, through an optical viewfinder, exactly what is passing through the camera's lens. The "reflex" of a mirrored shutter that bends light to the camera's viewfinder, and then snaps open rapidly to create exposures, makes this possible and gives the SLR its advantage. But this SLR advantage, while delivering high-performance speed and accuracy, has one drawback in the digital age. Because the image sensor is blocked by the mirror and shutter until the moment the shutter button is pressed, the mirror and shutter mechanism prevents a traditional digital SLR from viewing and composing a photo using only the camera's Liquid Crystal Display as a viewfinder.

As anyone who has used a compact digital camera knows, composing a photo just by viewing the camera's LCD is easy and commonplace, and many compact cameras do not even offer an optical viewfinder. Composing on an LCD has its own advantages, and Olympus engineers asked the question: How can we design a new digital SLR that delivers not only the traditional through-the-lens optical viewfinder experience of an SLR, but also adds the ability to frame photos with an LCD like a compact camera?

The E330's articulated LCD screen. The E330 is also the first DSLR to feature Live View, which allows real-time composition on the LCD screen.

The solution to this technical challenge is the revolutionary Olympus Evolt E-330 digital SLR--the world's first interchangeable lens digital SLR to feature a true "Live View" image on the LCD screen, in addition to the optical viewfinder, and unite the best of both worlds.

Live View is Designed to Do More
Users of the Evolt E-330 will quickly realize that when composing an image on the LCD, they can do more with this camera than they could with comparable SLRs without Live View. Because the camera's LCD is "articulated," it can extend out from the camera body and swivel downward or upward so the E-330 can be held overhead to shoot over a crowd, held at the hip, or even placed on the ground--something that's not possible with a traditional SLR that relies on an optical viewfinder alone. Whether shooting from a low angle for dramatic composition or in close for detailed macro photos, with the exclusive Olympus Live View LCD photographers can follow action easily and capture just the right moment with greater creative control.

The E-330's 2.5-inch high-resolution HyperCrystal LCD offers many times the contrast of conventional LCD monitors.

Large Live View 2.5-Inch HyperCrystal LCD Monitor
Big and bright with 215,250 pixels, the E-330's 2.5-inch high-resolution HyperCrystal LCD offers many times the contrast of conventional LCD monitors, so captured images can be beautifully displayed in vivid color on the screen with exceptional clarity. Because photos are for sharing, the E-330 LCD features a wide, 160-degree viewing angle on the vertical and horizontal axis, ensuring excellent visibility and beautiful image quality even when everyone huddles around the camera to see what you've created. The larger LCD also means the icons and text on the camera's menu display are large enough for easy viewing.

A New Live MOS 7.5-Megapixel Image Sensor
The excellent image quality of the Olympus E-System takes a giant step forward with the Evolt E-330. Newly developed specifically for this camera, the 7.5-megapixel Live MOS image sensor, with its high dynamic range, captures photos with accurate true colors, detail from edge to edge, and lower noise--bringing home all the benefits of Live View and the E-System.

Patented Dust-Reduction System for Spot-Free Photos
Dust is all around us, and when swapping out a lens on a digital single-lens reflex camera, there's a chance that a camera's electrostatically charged image sensor will attract microdust that can ruin photos. Since the main advantage of using an SLR camera is the ability to change lenses for better imaging effects, Olympus has developed a way for photographers to enjoy the freedom of using all the lenses of the Olympus E-System in the most challenging, dusty environments without compromising image quality.

Olympus's Dust Reduction System produces spot-free photos with the exclusive Supersonic Wave Filter, a patented ultrasonic technology that shakes at 35,000 vibrations a second to remove dust from in front of the camera sensor every time you turn the camera on, then captures the dust to prevent it from reappearing. These spot-free photos liberate users from hours spent retouching images at the computer. The new Evolt E-330, like all Olympus digital SLR cameras, is equipped with this exclusive user-friendly technology, and only Olympus has a solution to provide spot-free photography in a digital SLR.

The E330 features both a built-in flash and a hot-shoe connector for external flashes and other accessories.

Digital-Specific Zuiko Lenses
Olympus offers the largest selection of lenses designed for digital excellence, and they're all fully compatible with the E-330. Since each lens is perfectly matched to the camera's image sensor, light is received by each pixel. As a result, images are brighter, more colorful, and super-sharp from edge to edge.

The E-330 outfit includes a compact, Zuiko Digital 14 to 45mm f3.5 to f5.6 lens (equivalent to 28mm to 90mm in 35mm photography) that perfectly matches the imager so light strikes the sensor directly to ensure rich, accurate colors and edge-to-edge sharpness. Its 3.2x zoom covers the range most frequently used in ordinary photography and weighs just 10 ounces (285 grams) offering users an extremely dynamic, portable everyday-use zoom. Close-ups as near as 15 inches (38 centimeters) are possible throughout the zoom range.

The flat-top body design of the E330 makes it a remarkably compact DSLR.

Ergonomic Flat-Top Body Design
The E-330 camera body is lightweight with a smart design that fits naturally in your hand with a full-sized grip, and it's light and compact enough to comfortably shoot with all day. In place of the traditional pentaprism design, the camera incorporates the exclusive Olympus TTL Optical Porro Finder coupled with an exclusive side-swing mirror that gives the camera its unique "flat-top" appearance and makes it more compact for greater portability. This design also enables the camera's full-time Live View capabilities.

TruePic TURBO for Clarity and Speed
Olympus's TruePic TURBO Image Processor provides fast camera response, operation and processing speed for more responsive camera operation. This is done by closely integrating the image processor and hardware elements to eliminate unnecessary processing tasks, accelerating camera operations.

Along with the speed advantages, TruePic TURBO also produces crystal-clear photos using all the pixel information for each image to provide you with the best digital images possible for every photo.

The E330's optional underwater housing. (Not included.)

PT-E02 Underwater Housing (Not Included)
The PT-E02 Underwater Housing for E-330s enables users to enjoy underwater SLR shooting. Easy to set up, it offers waterproof protection up to a depth of over 196 feet (60 meters). The Live View LCD is ideal for underwater photography because it's much easier to compose on the Evolt E-330's large, bright LCD when underwater than to use the optical viewfinder. And, with three scene select modes for underwater wide, underwater macro, and underwater wide-angle auto exposures, the E-330 is designed to perform optimally in the deep. (PT-E02 Underwater Housing is not included with this kit and much be purchased separately.)

Product Description
The EVOLT E-330 is the world's first digital SLR to offer "Live" viewing through the Color LCD, making it easier to compose and capture the perfect shot. This big 2.5" LCD also features HyperCrystal technology and is designed with advanced swivel capability so you can capture one dramatic result after another from up top, down low, and everywhere in-between. With innovations like these - combined with world-class optics and our patented Dust Reduction System - the E-330 lets you shoot like no other digital interchangeable lens SLR before. Multiple-angle 2.5 HyperCrystal LCD Digital Image Stabilization Mode when shooting and capture clear pictures free from blur associated with moving subjects or camera shake 3 Color Parameters (Vibrant, Natural, or Muted) allow you to control color saturation, contrast and sharpness within each parameter individually / 5 Black-and-White monochrome modes are available to add dramatic effect to your images Direct Print enabled with PictBridge Control your flash photos with the Pop-up flash and 6 flash modes, or attach an external flash such as the FL-36 to the Hot Shoe for even more choices 4 available Recording Formats (TIFF, RAW, JPEG, RAW+JPEG) Accepts Compact Flash Card (Type I, II), Micro Drive, xD-Picture Type-H, Type-M and Standard Card (Dual Slot) Unit Size - 5.5 x 3.4 x 2.8 inches / Weighs 19 oz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A digital slr that influences creative photography, April 13, 2006

By	ADP "Artisitc Vision" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews

I have had the E330 for about 1 month now and couldn't be happier. I looked very closely at the Canon 30D, the Nikon D50 and the Olympus E500. I am really happy I went with the E330. While there is no such thing as a perfect camera, I have found that this one in particular fits my needs and caters to my more creative side with the live view articulated view finder. The Live A and B modes really open a lot of doors that other cameras in its class do not allow. Although it does't look as traditional as the others, the style had grown on me. I opted to get the body only so that I could upgrade the lens to a 14-54mm Zukio which is a wonderful all around lens. I find that the camera feels very good in my hands, although the D50 also had a great feel to it. It is very responsive and handles most situations well. I like to do street photography and the live view articulating lens allows for the taking of pictures without being too obvious. The low light performance is pretty good compared to the other olympus digital SLR with its new sensor, but is still not as good as either the 30D or the D50. This may change however when Lecia releases its 4/3rds mount image stabilized lens which is supposed to be compatible with the Olympus lineup. While I am new to digital SLRs, I consider myself to be a photography enthusiast. I started out with a Sony S85 which was a wonderful camera in many ways, but I have to say I am having a wonderful time learning about a whole new realm of photography with the E330. I highly recommend a good look at this camera if you are looking to get into digital SLRs as it serves not only as a nice crossover camera, but as a midline intermediate SLR that will keep you wanting to get even more creative with your photographic hobby.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Camera I have ever owned, August 23, 2006

By	AJ Franklin "aj_franklin" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

With about 30 years of picture taking experience and many pro shoots behind me I went shopping for a new DSLR. I wanted one to serve as an all-around pal and be loaded with pro features that I am accustomed to using. When this camera hit the market I knew I had to try one on for size...especially since no other DSLR has live LCD compositing of frames.

All I can say is this camera has put all of my other 6 cameras in the closet (three of them were film.) Sharp images, easy composition in a giant, bright 2 1/2 LCD screen and ease of use won me over. If you want a simple interface with outstanding pictures you can have it here. If you want the touch of manual adjustment and light handling, ditto.

It is the best camera, all around, that I have ever used or owned. And now the prices are coming down! So what's stopping you?

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Live view feature is well worth the extra!!, April 26, 2006

By	M. Lo - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is my first digital reflex. I had also looked at the canon 350xt, nikon d50/70, sony R1, but made the choice based on the unique Live View feature and image quality. No other dslr lets you frame using the lcd screen, which I find really useful in lots of shooting situations. The image quality is superb, easily outresolving my previous sony 828, with much faster autofocus and low noise. The colors just pop out of the screen. I can send my pics directly to print without doing any post processing.
I had almost decided on the Sony R1, but it wasn?t as flexible (lacked an optical viewfinder and ability to change lenses)To me is the best of both worlds, digicams (rotating lcd, live framing) and dsrls (optical viewfinder, AF speed, low noise, lenses)
Highly recommended!