Olympus E-500 SLR Review



Full review posted 11/17/2005
Click on the E-500 to take a QuickTime VR tour
The E-500 uses a high-performance KODAK KAF-8300CE CCD imager for an impressive 8 million pixels of detail. With this amount of resolution photographers have the flexibility to make large prints with today's wide-carriage printers, or crop into an image to print only the part that is important to them. Moreover, the E-500's image sensor delivers improved dynamic range, low noise to capture fine image details in the highlight and shadow areas, as well as excellent color fidelity for brilliant colors. Additionally the anti-blooming technology on each pixel and the exclusive Olympus TruePic TURBO Image Processor helps to eliminate undesirable artifacts, stepping or jaggies, purple fringing or moir� in an image. The E-500 has a big and bright 2.5-inch HyperCrystal LCD that 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, this LCD features a wide, 160° 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 enlarged for easier viewing. The versatility of the Olympus E-System comes from delivering the largest selection of "Designed-for-Digital" lenses -more than any other manufacturer to date. Most other digital SLR cameras still use many traditional 35mm film lenses on digital bodies. But since those lenses are based on designs for film and not for pixels, they deliver insufficient light at the edges of a digital camera's image sensor. This can result in reduced sharpness and color definition, particularly when shooting with large apertures and wide-angle lenses. The E-500 does not have this problem, because it accommodates the full line of interchangeable Zuiko Digital Lenses. The E-500 outfit includes a compact, Zuiko Digital 14 - 45mm Zoom Lens (equivalent to 28mm - 90mm in 35mm photography). 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 (38cm) are possible throughout the zoom range. Everybody can shoot like a pro with the E-500. Select from one of the 25 Exposure Modes (Easy, Basic and Creative) that make it easy to get the results you want. The 15 pre-programmed Scene Select modes to achieve the optimal results for: Night Scenes, Fireworks, Sunsets, Beach and Snow, Children, Landscape, and more. Every Scene Select mode provides a sample image and a description of what is happening to achieve the desired result. For example, choosing the Landscape setting reveals a sample of a landscape photo, and a text description of what the mode is displayed on the large, easy-to-read 2.5-inch LCD. The Creative Modes allow users to take more control of the E-500 for the ultimate in artistic expression. For example, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual Modes allow users to tweak all of the camera's settings just the way they want for any situation at hand.
Transferring images to the computer is easy with the Auto-Connect USB, software
drivers aren't required (for most computers/operating systems). Images may also be
viewed on a television using the video cable. When it comes time to print images just
connects the camera's USB cable to any PictBridge-enabled printer, no need for a
computer. The Olympus P-11 Digital Photo
Printer is a perfect match for the E-500. Simply select the images displayed on
the camera's LCD, press a button and the finished print is in your hand in under
a minute.
The EVOLT E-500 TWO Lens Outfit; 14-45mm f3.5/5.6 and 40-150mm f3.5/4.5 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens has an estimated Street Price of $899.99 USD. |
Physical Views










Olympus Evolt E-500 and the E-1 for comparison
Compare Digital SLR SpecificationsClick to see side by side comparisons of Evolt E-500 and Canon Rebel XT, Konica Minolta 5D, Nikon D50, D70 and Pentax *ist DS and *ist DL. |
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Olympus EVOLT E-500 Specifications
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NOTE: These specifications are as represented by the manufacturer.
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