Features
As Live View modes in SLRs go, the E-510's version
is pretty handy, but it's still clunkier than shooting with a real
compact camera or using the E-510's optical viewfinder.
Since the E-510 has to get its mirror out of the way before you can use Live View, then needs to lower it to autofocus and raise it again before you can shoot, this mode is slow and noisy. Also, if you do want the camera to autofocus while in Live View mode, you have to hold the AEL/AFL button to activate it, which also slows down the shooting experience.
However, if you want to focus manually, you can zoom in on your subject to help you focus. You can also select the area that you want to zoom in on or use for autofocus. A small green box appears if you cycle through display modes (with the INFO button) and you can move it around the frame with the direction buttons in the five-way touchpad.
Since the E-510's 10-megapixel LiveMOS sensor adheres to the Four Thirds format, the camera has a 2x focal length multiplier. That means that you have to multiply the focal lengths of the available kit lenses by two to come up with the effective field of view that you'll get with the lenses.
For example, the 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens that comes with the single and double lens kits becomes more akin to a 28-84mm lens. Meanwhile the 40-150mm f/4-5.6 lens that comes with the double lens kit ends up more like an 80-300mm lens. That's a good range of focal lengths, especially in an entry-level SLR kit, but if you want to go wide with a Four Thirds camera, you should be prepared to shell out some serious cash.
Olympus does offer a rectilinear (aka non-fisheye)
7-14mm f/4 but it'll cost you almost as much as three E-510 bodies to
buy that lens. The company's 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5 costs less than half the
7-14mm's price, but if you want to get wider than a 20mm-equivalent
without resorting to a fisheye lens, you'll likely have to pawn your
arm and leg.
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User reviews1
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Jaffa-son 22 July 2008
Good: The live view facility and the ease of setting camera modes
Bad: The digital lens (14-42mm) quality seem inferior to OM system lenses
Comment: Having owned an OM-2 & OM30 and built up a collection of OM lenses over the last 20 years I wanted to upgrade our Canon 4MP A80 to a digital SLR. I purchased an E-510 with 14-42 lens Jan 08 and gambled by acquiring an MF-1 adaptor and testing these old lenses.
Don't get me wrong here the 14 - 42mm is a fine lens and gives excellent results. I find A4 size prints are close in quality to those of my OM2/50mm F1.4 camera. The camera has just about adjustable everything and I am still learning/experimenting with it. The up to 10x zoom facility on the LCD is really useful to check after each shot.
Now before I sell off my OM lens collection (at a fraction of the cost - I sold a now vintage car to buy one of them) and start building a collection of digital lenses I want to be sure that its the best option!
Yes with these lenses/MF-1 adaptor you do lose the auto mode and in manual mode you have to focus and then stop down (with the longer focal lenses). Having the LCD screen on its brightest setting aids the use of these lenses.
The results with the 65 - 200mm (130 - 400mm on the E-510 body) are excellent. Even with the 2x-A converter fitted making the top end 800mm and using a tripod and additional lens support (the E-510 is not as rigid as the old OM's) the results are very impressive.
A direct comparison performance of the 50mm F1.4 (100mm on the E-510, stopped to F5.6) with the 14 - 42mm (F3.5 - 5.6) set at 84mm showed the OM lens capable of producing an A3 print with the same detail and definition of the digital at A4 size on my premium quality HP printer with several close and distant subjects. (This testing cost me a 57 & 58 cartridge (£40)!
Conclusion - this may be of interest to others out there with old OM lens collections. There is life in them yet with the E-510/MF-1 adaptor.
If you have no OM kit the E-510 is a great camera but I cannot comment on the longer focal zoom lens. I find up to A4 print size this digital camera produces as good as most analog SLR prints and results are very good when displayed on a 40 inch Sony HD
I have just purchased a 10MP Leica D-Lux 3 (for the wife) so I can see a further review coming on in a few weeks time.
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