Olympus E-330
Encyclopedia
The Olympus E-330 is a DSLR
launched on 30 January 2006, using the Four Thirds System
lens mount standard. Its main feature is its live image preview functionality, permitting an image to be previewed on the LCD screen. While live image preview is not new in compact digital cameras, the E-330 is significant because it was the first digital SLR to offer this feature. With the ability to digitally zoom in 10× before taking a picture, it is very well suited for exact manual focussing, for example in macro photography
.
Unlike many other digital SLRs, the E-330 used a second sensor in the viewfinder chamber which was fed by splitting 20% of the light from the viewfinder. The advantage of this implementation is that the camera's autofocus and exposure systems are fully functional and there is no shutter lag. The E-330 also offers a liveview mode using the main sensor however in this mode autofocus is disabled and there is additional shutter lag due to the extra close/open at the beginning and the end of the exposure cycle. Sony have adopted a similar liveview implementation in their digital SLRs which also place a second sensor in the viewfinder chamber although a moving mirror to allow all light to go to this sensor avoids the dark viewfinder problem the e-330 suffered from.
The E-330 also offers an 7.5-megapixel image sensor, and has an articulated LCD monitor which tilts up and down for waist-level and over-the-head photography.
The E-330 uses Olympus' patented Supersonic Wave Filter
dust reduction system
to shake dust from the sensor during startup and when requested by the user; this largely eliminates the problem of dust accumulation on the surface of the image sensor.
The camera offers the following "scene" modes: Portrait, Landscape, Landscape + Portrait, Night Scene, Night + Portrait, Children, Sport, High Key, Low Key, D Image Stabilization, Macro, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Fireworks, Documents, Panorama, Beach & Snow, Underwater Wide, Underwater Macro.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1
and the Leica Digilux 3
are both built using the same basic inner mechanism from the Olympus E-330, and thus also share the live preview function. Unlike the E-330 however, neither the L1 or Digilux 3 incorporated the second sensor in the viewfinder chamber and could only produce the liveview output from the main sensor. They still suffered from the same darker viewfinder as they shared the same mirror to divert 20% of the light for the non-existent secondary sensor.
Digital single-lens reflex camera
Most digital single-lens reflex cameras are digital cameras that use a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera....
launched on 30 January 2006, using the Four Thirds System
Four Thirds System
The Four Thirds system is a standard created by Olympus and Kodak for digital single-lens reflex camera design and development.The system provides a standard that, with digital cameras and lenses available from multiple manufacturers, allows for the interchange of lenses and bodies from different...
lens mount standard. Its main feature is its live image preview functionality, permitting an image to be previewed on the LCD screen. While live image preview is not new in compact digital cameras, the E-330 is significant because it was the first digital SLR to offer this feature. With the ability to digitally zoom in 10× before taking a picture, it is very well suited for exact manual focussing, for example in macro photography
Macro photography
Macrophotography is close-up photography, usually of very small subjects. Classically a macrophotograph is one in which the size of the subject on the negative is greater than life size. However in modern use it refers to a finished photograph of a subject at greater than life size...
.
Unlike many other digital SLRs, the E-330 used a second sensor in the viewfinder chamber which was fed by splitting 20% of the light from the viewfinder. The advantage of this implementation is that the camera's autofocus and exposure systems are fully functional and there is no shutter lag. The E-330 also offers a liveview mode using the main sensor however in this mode autofocus is disabled and there is additional shutter lag due to the extra close/open at the beginning and the end of the exposure cycle. Sony have adopted a similar liveview implementation in their digital SLRs which also place a second sensor in the viewfinder chamber although a moving mirror to allow all light to go to this sensor avoids the dark viewfinder problem the e-330 suffered from.
The E-330 also offers an 7.5-megapixel image sensor, and has an articulated LCD monitor which tilts up and down for waist-level and over-the-head photography.
The E-330 uses Olympus' patented Supersonic Wave Filter
Supersonic Wave Filter
The Supersonic Wave Filter is a dust reduction system developed by Olympus to overcome the negative effect of dust particles landing on the image sensor of digital SLRs. DSLRs are particularly vulnerable to this issue, since the interior of the camera is exposed during lens changes unlike other...
dust reduction system
Dust reduction system
A dust reduction system, or dust removal system, is a technology employed by several manufacturers of digital system cameras to solve the problem of dust particles adhering to the image sensor. Some systems remove or clean the sensor by vibrating at a very high frequency—between 100hertz and...
to shake dust from the sensor during startup and when requested by the user; this largely eliminates the problem of dust accumulation on the surface of the image sensor.
The camera offers the following "scene" modes: Portrait, Landscape, Landscape + Portrait, Night Scene, Night + Portrait, Children, Sport, High Key, Low Key, D Image Stabilization, Macro, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Fireworks, Documents, Panorama, Beach & Snow, Underwater Wide, Underwater Macro.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1
The Lumix DMC-L1 was Panasonic's first digital single-lens reflex camera, and was announced in February 2006. This camera adheres to the Four Thirds System lens mount standard, making it the first non-Olympus Four Thirds camera, and thus confirming that the Four Thirds System is a semi-open...
and the Leica Digilux 3
Leica Digilux 3
The Digilux 3 is a digital single-lens reflex camera introduced by Leica on 14 September 2006. The Digilux 3 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 are identical cameras, using the Four Thirds standard lens mount and featuring a 7.5 Megapixels live view N-MOS sensor, but the Digilux 3 has improved firmware...
are both built using the same basic inner mechanism from the Olympus E-330, and thus also share the live preview function. Unlike the E-330 however, neither the L1 or Digilux 3 incorporated the second sensor in the viewfinder chamber and could only produce the liveview output from the main sensor. They still suffered from the same darker viewfinder as they shared the same mirror to divert 20% of the light for the non-existent secondary sensor.