Olympus E-3 review

Performance
The E-3 starts up and is ready to shoot in less than 1.5 seconds. Shot-to-shot time is better, focusing and shooting in 0.3 seconds and 0.6 seconds.

Olympus claims the E-3 will capture 5 frames per second, and although we didn't manage that, we were able to produce a lightning fast 4.5 fps with a Kingston CompactFlash card. The camera kept this formidable pace up for 30 seconds before slowing slightly, but even then it kept snapping at a dignified clip and showed no sign of stopping until space on the 1GB card ran out.

Higher-end models may be faster, as with the Canon EOS-1D Mark III's 10fps, but the E-3 really impressed us with its unstoppable ability to keep blasting away without drawing breath -- and at full resolution no less. The E-3 will even capture up to 19 raw images in one burst, which is more than enough for us.

Battery life is also good, with a single charge coping with more than 500 test shots, although heavy use of live view will eat into that.

Conclusion
The Olympus E-3 is a truly excellent camera. Straightforward controls, accessible control panels, a compact frame and feature-rich live view make this a more consumer-friendly camera than the price would suggest. Meanwhile excellent image quality, a clever feature set and unstoppable burst shooting are attractive to the professional and prosumer market.

It took a lot to shake the nagging feeling that the delayed E-3 has already been left behind by other cameras like the Nikon D300 or Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 with their bigger screens and 12 megapixels, but in terms of usability and picture quality the E-3 more than holds its own.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday