Olympus Evolt E300 8MP Digital SLR with 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 & 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5 Zuiko Lenses

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Product Details

Product Manual [7.18mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 15.5 x 6 x 9 inches ; 7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007USD34
• Item model number: E-300
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,535 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 20, 2005

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Olympus Evolt E-300 is a 100% digital SLR camera that eliminates any photographic limitations. A powerful 8-megapixel CCD combines with interchangeable Zuiko digital lenses, our exclusive Supersonic Wave Filter, and other cutting-edge technologies to make for world-class images. Advances in design make for a durable and portable compact camera you can take and trust anywhere. It features impressively fast shooting and operating speeds that ensure you never miss a photo op, and the ability to switch lenses and add flashes so you never miss a beat.

	Image Quality Along with the advantages provided by the 8-megapixel Full Frame Transfer CCD and Olympus's exclusive dust-eliminating Supersonic Wave Filter, images captured with the Evolt E-300 benefit from a number of additional technologies as well. The included Zuiko 14-45mm f3.5-5.6 (equivalent to 28-90mm in 35mm photography) and 40-150mm f3.5-4.5 (equivalent to 80-300mm in 35mm photography) digital SLR lenses are perfectly matched with the 4/3-type image sensor to deliver light more directly to each of the imager's pixels. Standard with the Evolt E300, the Zuiko Digital 14-45mm f3.5-5.6 lens delivers superb image quality from edge to edge. Its 3.2x zoom covers a broad range, with close-ups coming out crisp and clear as near as 15 inches (38 centimeters). A new multi-coating minimizes ghosting and flaring that can occur, while the sturdy metal lens mount ensures rugged durability. The lens features 12 elements in 10 groups and a weight of just 9.98 ounces (285 grams). The interchangeable Zuiko Digital 40-150mm f3.5-4.5 lens is perfect for everything from portraits to sports scenes. It features a 3.8x zoom, a f3.5-4.5 brightness for effects like background blurring and compression, a new multi-coating and reliable metal lens mount, along with 13 elements in 10 groups and a weight of approximately 15.75 ounces (450 grams). Furthermore, the camera's TruePic TURBO image processor offers significantly improved image quality and combines with anti-blooming technology on each pixel to eliminate undesirable artifacts, moiré patterns, and other aberrations that can appear.
	Dust Free Dust has long been an issue in digital photography. The Evolt E-300 features Olympus's exclusive Supersonic Wave Filter that dramatically reduces dust and other particles that settle on the image sensor. Located between the shutter and the CCD, the Supersonic Wave Filter uses high-speed ultrasonic vibration to cause dust and other microelements to fall off and be collected and held so they don't affect photographs. This filter vibrates at 350,000 times per second and is automatically activated upon powering up the camera (or manually via the menu) to render dust harmless. This unique technology provides both the freedom and comfort to shoot and interchange lenses with the confidence that your images won't be damaged or ruined by dust ever again.
	Built-In Pop-Up Flash This new flash design allows close-up flash photography without the typical "lens shadow." The flash housing pops up and then forward to better illuminate subjects when using a wide-angle lens at close shooting distances.
	High Speed Don't you hate shutter lag? Put an end to annoying waiting times with the high-speed performance of the Evolt E-300. Because it's equipped with our TruePic TURBO image processor, the Evolt E-300 is able to deliver fast image data processing for the files generated by this powerful digital camera. TruePic TURBO also has a huge impact on overall camera responsiveness as it accelerates the camera's startup time, decreases the shutter release lag time so you can capture images more rapidly, and provides quicker image playback for instant gratification. The Evolt E-300 also lets you capture fast-paced action with a quick 2.5-frames-per-second burst mode, and keeps you shooting fast for longer periods of time with its 64 MB image memory buffer and separate working memory for camera controls.
	Scene Program Modes Ever wonder how to achieve the results you want without complicated and time-consuming camera settings? The Evolt E-300 lets you choose among 14 shooting options so you can concentrate on your composition and leave the settings to us.

Durability
You can't achieve high performance without a highly durable camera. The Evolt E-300 is built to keep you and your images at an optimum level no matter where or when you use it, due to its sturdy and reliable design. An aluminum top cover provides added protection for the camera while giving it a sophisticated feel. The die-cast aluminum chassis provides a strong foundation for a camera that can be used in all kinds of conditions. The metallic lens mount is further evidence of the camera's ruggedness while also supporting the use of interchangeable lenses, up to the largest telephotos in the E-System family. It boasts a durable shutter. And its exclusive Supersonic Wave Filter repels dust and debris from the Evolt E-300’s 8-megapixel CCD so each and every image you capture is crystal clear and aberration free, just as you saw it through the lens.

Size
Utilizing new concepts and new technologies, the Evolt E-300 boasts a radical new body design that makes it incredibly comfortable to hold and impressively appealing to use. Most digital SLR designs are based on traditional 35mm camera models. But innovations in digital photography have enabled us to provide an innovative design that stands out from the rest. Eliminating the bulky pentaprism commonly found on top of traditional SLRs, the Evolt E-300 incorporates a new and exclusive Olympus TTL Optical Porro Finder coupled with an exclusive side swing mirror that enables the unique flat-top appearance to be realized and increased portability to be attained.

What's in the Box

• Evolt E-300 body
• 14-45mm f3.5-5.6 and 40-150mm f3.5-4.5 lenses
• USB cable
• Video cable
• Lithium-ion battery pack (BLM-1)
• Lithium-ion battery charger (BCM-2)
• Audio/video cable
• Shoulder strap
• Olympus Master Editing software
• CD-ROM
• Manuals
• Warranty card
• System chart

Product Description

The EVOLT E-300 is a 100% digital SLR camera that eliminates any photographic limitations. A powerful 8 megapixel CCD combines with interchangeable Zuiko digital lenses, the exclusive Supersonic Wave Filter and other cutting-edge technologies for world-class images. Advances in design make for a durable and portable compact camera you can take and trust anywhere. With impressively fast shooting and operating speeds that ensure you never miss a photo op, and the ability to switch lenses and add flashes so you never miss a beat.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 98 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It'll grow on you, June 29, 2005

By	Ronald K. Goodenow (Northboro, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the latest in my journey through Olympus Digital Cameras
(D340R, 460,560,2020z, 5060 -- some of which I have reviewed on Amazon). The choice of the E-300, used for some commerical work I do, was not so easy because I have a bag full of Pentax K lenses and was mightily tempted by the Pentax digitals. But, having batteries, familiarity with the menu system, and really very good experience with Olympus products and service over the years, I took the plunge and got the E-300 and its kit lens. Then got a K mount adapter for my Pentax lenses and set to work.

Ok, there are some quirks and I will get them out of the way:

- a slight magenta cast to some greens, easily fixed in post-processing or fiddling with WB, and the noise reduction system can just slightly dull grass in photos, also easily fixed

- now and then a bright spot will fool exposure slightly when using the full screen sensor (I've learned to use the center-weighted and spot meters to take care of this)

- I am not overly impressed by the lcd, which doesn't seem to have the brilliance of the one on my 5060.

- I wish Oly had added an xD slot for those of us with a collection of these cards, purchased for use with older models

Now to some good stuff:

- don't worry about some reviews claiming the camera is noisey and doesn't like 800/1600 ISO. I get fine results, which are easily fine tuned in Photoshop Elements, Neat Image or other programs, and which can be helped mightily by using a wide aperture prime lens at 400.

- colors are brilliant and resolution sharp

- the Oly jpg algorithms are very good, meaning that for most 'normal' shooting one can be perfectly happy using the best HQ mode -- lots of testing on my part discerns very little visible difference with SHQ. This is good to know when traveling or when you want to keep some disc space; triage carefully when you see that once in a lifetime shot coming and then use the highest modes

- Raw is very good but by all means avoid the Olympus Master converter, which is terribly unintuitive, in favor of Adobe's.

- battery life is excellent with the BLM1 battery (and yes, you can get good backups on that auction site for less than ten dollars each; and they work just fine); I've only run one battery down all the way and that was with multiple in camera editing and a download of 150 shots via USB.

- flash is fine (though watch lens hood shadowing at highest aperture); I've supplemented with the FL-36 and FL-20, both of which work flawlessly, even for the brain dead like me. Like many cameras this one will occasionally underexpose so I generally program the flash for a little extra oomph.

- the camera feels rugged and well made; a little tank that feels good in one's hand and thanks to lack of prism on top slides easily into a small bag.

- the kit lens is really quite fine

- K lenses, including a Tokina ATX telephoto zoom work easily and brilliantly, as does an OM lens with adapter.

-even for the 'advanced' among us, it is good to have the range of scene modes on this camera. They work.

-vastly improved instruction manual.

-burns very quickly, even to standard CF cards.

-finally, this thing really keeps dust off the sensor. I'm constantly fiddling between lenses in very different environmental situations and have yet to see a spec. Yes, some appear on the outer mirror, but that is easily and harmlessly cured.

Olympus does not have the cache or marketing power of Nikon and Canon. And the sensor on this 4/3d's camera is smaller than those on its main competitors. Yet, I find it to be a solid and
unflashly product in line with most Oly cameras I have owned. This company is good at miniaturization, glass, and compression algorithms. If you need it Oly service is excellent (quick and friendly as I found out when I screwed up something in my 5060, also a superb camera).

I'm sure that there are fine photos to be had with any of the major dslr's on the market and not having a lot of comparative experience with other brands probably don't know what I am missing. But if you want an elegant workhorse with high resolution and brilliant photos give this one a careful look.

173 of 183 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Amazing SLR, May 25, 2005

By	Sinister Minister - See all my reviews

Hey guess who!? The sinister minister with yet another Digicam review!Well the E300 brings my camera count up to 5 and it may very well decrease it. I have by nature been very weary of the digital SLR's even though I sell tons of them every week, I have used the Canon XT and 20D, and the Nikon D70, consistantly. I have demonstrated them untill I can set one up in my sleep, and as fast and advanced as they may seem I just couldn't get past thier hefty price tags.But then here comes the E300, the first thing you notice about this camera is it looks like no other SLR on the market, it almost like a stealth camera! Size wise it compares pretty evenly with its counterparts, however it is somewhat lighter. Unlike the Rebel XT however this camera is built like a tank, with a good solid hand grip, and a textured metal body. That aside the main thing that attracted me to this camera was the fact that it uses Digital Zuiko lenses, each lens has its own processor! How cool is that! Not to mention the benefits you get when reading light or getting in focus. And to top that off they are sanely priced!! Now the most important feature of any camera my friends is what you buy it for, and that is pictures! The E-300 takes amazing pictures! It takes them fast, clear, and in just about any light situation you can think of. Oh and by the way? thats before you even start to mess around with the settings! Lets talk about a few: ISO: Neat feature the E300 has is a thing called "ISO Boost" you can switch the 2 highest ISO settings on or off (800 & 1600)! Noise in this department was pretty darn good until you shoot at 1600 then it gets a bit spooky, there aren't many cameras that don't (believe me) even the 20D you fantasize about takes a crappy shot with the ISO cranked up! Shutter speeds are about even with most other SLRs, and it even has an 8 minute "Bulb" mode (Hooray) but you have to hold the shutter button down (BOO).Menues: This camera has the coolest, and easiest to use damn menu system I have ever seen! I love it I was running thru things like I had owned the camera for years after just a few minutes, Nothing like the Canons (some things on those I still can't find!!) 8MP: my favorite resolution! I own 4 8MP cameras and I love every one of them! I well tell you now what I tell all my customers at Bestbuy anything over 8MP is a waste of money and time, I think even 8MP is more than most people need.5MP is average 6 is just stupid, 7MP is a good point and shoot. But SLRs need to be at least 8MP (hello Nikon?) The lens ranges work so well with that resolution anything less is really an injustice (I think).Scene Modes: Yes the E-300 has a ton of them (see spec's above) including the "Sunset Mode" (I love Nikon's)This is almost as good although a little too red at times. I haven't had the camera long so I haven't had the chance to run thru them all, but the ones I have used have all been right on the money. Speed: well okay this one has to go to the 20D, speed wise the E-300 is about par, but it's not gonna win any races about 4 frames at 2.5 sec for as long as the shutter is pressed.White balance features are excellent in this camera ranging from auto to 3000k all the way up to 7500k in addition to 4 spaces for custom settings (nice job Olympus).Full AF or manual focus modes as well as several combinations of the two! Flash: the E-300 probably has the best on board flash of any camera I have ever used, and without a doubt the most versitile as far as being able to control intensity, speed, etc. I actually like using it (Normally I hate flash photography). Huge selection of Image formats: this camera will save your pictures in at least 20 different files types and resolutions, not to mention you can completely edit Raw image files directly within the camera! Exsposure, contrast, sharpness the whole deal right on board. Battery life is excellent being as good as my F-828 at 230-220 minutes.Micro-drive capable, and I absolutely love the Zuiko lenses.I have to admit I never thought I would own an Olympus let alone one of thier SLRs, Olympus has a tendency to cut on quality when it comes to thier lower end models the people that own em love em. However I have always heard that Olympus high end cameras are among the best. After using the E-300 I would agree WOW!.This camera has so many other benifits and features that I can't go into here, so check your online review sources and make up your own mind. As I said I am a professional photographer and I sell cameras and aside from some bells and whistles, speed you'll never use, the E-300 is everybit as good a digital SLR camera as its Canon and Nikon counterparts (more so in some ways)The biggest being price!
I added another lens to mine and a Microdrive (4gb) and a Canon would have still cost me more, and I'd still be lost in those menus!Want my advice? Put the E-300 on your short list and decide based on picture and price, not speed. Weather its film or digital, photography has always been about the pictures, SLR's by nature take amazing photographs, is it really worth it to have to take on a second job just to pay for it!? I hope this helps somewhat, after I have used the camera a while I may offer an update, until then Happy shooting!

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent value for money, December 8, 2005

By	Thomas J. Haslam "orcat" (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Before buying the Evolt 300, I read numerous reviews on it and D-SLR cameras from Nikon, Canon, Sigma and Fujifilm with similar features.

Bottom line consensus: The Evolt 300 is a technically sound and accomplished D-SLR which delivers quality photographs comparable to the Nikon D70 and superior to the Canon Digital Rebel XT.

So far, so good.

I then visited various dealers--from dedicated photoshops to Best Buy and Circut City--so that I could see and handle each of the cameras in my price / feature range: ~$800 to ~$1400, 6+ megapixels, decent selection of lenses. (I purchased the camera @ Adorama Camera via Amazon).

Unlike the similarly priced Nikon D50 and the Canon XT, the Evolt 300 does not feel or handle like a cheap plastic toy. Score 1. if I'm spending a considerable amount of money on a D-SLR, I want a certain degree of ruggedness. This is a well-made camera.

I narrowed my choices down to the Nikon D70, the Evolt 300 and the Canon EOS 20D. If money were no object, I'd say buy the Canon EOS 20D.

Likewise, the Nikon D70 makes good sense if you have compatible Nikon lenses. But otherwise it simply doesn't outperform the Evolt 300 to justify the cost difference.

I went with the Evolt 300 with the dual Zuiko lenses. (The package listed above). Even with the FL-36 Flash and extra battery, I still kept the entire package price under $1000.

I've been using the camera consistently for the past two months since relocating to Senegal. No problems.

If I can take the word of others, the photos --not in terms of art but image quality-- are outstanding.

I generally shot in RAW and can go through 4+ gigs before worrying about the battery. To date, I've used most of the programmable features--including autobracketing for exposure and white balance. All work as advertised. Likewise, the different scence modes also very good. (One exception noted below).

Three compliants, the last minor.

1. Although this camera does allow both manual focus and auto focus with manual fine-tuning, the Zuiko lenses simply don't respond well to manual focus. For certain macro shots (those with tricky backgrounds), you have play around a good bit just to get the subject in focus. Dialing to manual and handtuning -- which should solve the problem-- almost a waste of time.

2. Olympus has it's own version of RAW-- .orf. ORF requires a plugin for Photoshop 7 and lower (I don't know about Photoshp CS). Although RAW offers great editing options, the ORF version is a pain to work with, loads much slower, and can't be previewed except by using Olympus Master software. Given the amount of photos I shot, ORF has added hours of processing time over what the standard RAW files would. This I'm less than thrilled with.

3. You'll either love or hate the sunset mode. I really don't care for the way it turns the horizon Martian orange. I want the deep blues, reds and purples that I see -- and not bad postcard melodrama. When I now shoot sunsets or oceanscapes at dusk, I do so NOT using the sunset mode.

Bottom line:
No regrets whatsoever about this purchase. I am very happy with my Evolt 300 which has already seen a great deal of use under less than ideal conditions. The camera is technically solid, easy-to-use, and comes with many strong basic and advanced features. Just excellent value for price. So far, great fun too.