Oly E-330 Comments Wanted

[alcina]

Nick - great information...I've added this thread to the Pink Link so others can find this info more easily!

 

[rcolman]

Well, there is NO question that almost any dSLR will significantly outperform a point and shoot. The only drawbackis size, weight and price. My E300 with ikelite housing and dual strobes is BIG and weighs almost 20lbs out of the water.

My original question on this thread was whether the live preview of the E-330 is worth the expense of getting a new camera body and new housing when compared to an E-300!

I may, however, be the first one to actually do an in-water comparison since it appears that no one else has tried to make the switch.

Rick Colman

 

[sunkarm]

is the speed on E330 on taking shots using Raw format the same as in the SP350 or faster?
thx

 

[jlyle]

is the speed on E330 on taking shots using Raw format the same as in the SP350 or faster?
thx

The 330 has a buffer that stores up to five images while writing to the card. The SP350 has no buffer, so you have to wait until the camera is through writing to take the next picture.

 

[sunkarm]

oic.thx

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

My original question on this thread was whether the live preview of the E-330 is worth the expense of getting a new camera body and new housing when compared to an E-300!

I may, however, be the first one to actually do an in-water comparison since it appears that no one else has tried to make the switch.

Eeerrrr. Sorta not?

I had an E500, E1, and C5060(housed for UW shooting). My C5060 flooded and since a used replacement cost nearly as much as I paid new - they are discontinued now - I just sold the E500 and used the insurance money from the C5060 and the money from the E500 sell to purchase the E330, which I intend to house for UW shooting.

While I haven't housed it yet, I bought it primarily because of the LiveView to shoot UW. Otherwise, its not really any better than the E500, and hardly any better than your E300. To me, the E330 w/LiveView was worth the upgrade for UW photography. I can't wait to use it for that purpose.

 

[Fota]

I found that low light was an issue when I had the focus mode set for all of the three focus points and the camera had a hard time picking one over the other. Now that I set it to use only the center focus point, I have had no problems. On dawn and night dives, I use a HID canister light and therefore have no light issues as it is very bright.

I guess what we all wonder is if there's any true to this:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse330/page7.asp

It's hard to know just how dark it really was when they tested, but after reading the review it looks like the A mode is crap is the B mode is the way to go (especially as it now features AF), but then again almost a sec of shutter lag in Mode B, scary (hmm wasn't the non existing shutter lag the main reason for getting an SLR...)!

Please enlighten us!


/Fota

 

[Fota]

Rick, I can't compare my E330 to any other DSLR, as it is my first. I am coming from the Oly C8080. That said, I really like composing in the liveview screen (the main reason I chose this DSLR over others). It seems to give me more flexibility when taking macro in nooks and crannies as I can maneuver my rig into holes or under corals without having to worry about getting my head in there too. I have to admit that having the liveview, I have yet to need to compose through the viewfinder. I keep telling myself that I have to learn but haven't yet.

The battery lasts for 2 dives with the liveview screen on all the time and after taking 250+ photos, so battery life is not an issue.

If you want to preview photos from the E330, the more recent photos in my gallery were taken with the E330.

So far, I really like the camera.

Excellent photos! What lenses are you using on the E-330?

One thing that I really wonder about the E-330 is:
As it has no focus assist light, the popup flash is to be used as such.
From what I've read, it's supposed to work great. But, what how does this work when you have an external flash (like uw). I mean, will the E-330 trigger the external flash as an auto focus assist?


/Fota

 

[jlyle]

I guess what we all wonder is if there's any true to this:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse330/page7.asp

It's hard to know just how dark it really was when they tested, but after reading the review it looks like the A mode is crap is the B mode is the way to go (especially as it now features AF), but then again almost a sec of shutter lag in Mode B, scary (hmm wasn't the non existing shutter lag the main reason for getting an SLR...)!

Please enlighten us!


/Fota

From my limited experience (two dives in cold water) the dpreviewer was wrong. In A mode, the LCD looked just like I expected it to look. I have been shooting an Oly c5050 for years and the LCD looked as bright and clear, only bigger! I was using A mode. I think B mode isn't useful for u/w; you will use this mode when doing macro work from a tripod.

 

[jlyle]

I mean, will the E-330 trigger the external flash as an auto focus assist?


/Fota

According to the manual, you can do that but it will give you shutter lag! I found the auto-focus to work well in low light and even better when using a modeling light.