Camera Labs

For swivel lcd work, Id rather use my classic C7070 anyway, live view is much more responsive on that camera, and it shares the same battery type as my e520... also, I have the excellent ownuser grip for the e520, which lets you use nimh aa batteries and comes with a remote-- two more reasons Im hesitant about upgrading.

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https://www.photoshop.com/user/alex_the_great

I've only used the contrast detect AF on the E520 once. I wasn't impressed with the speed. I've used it a few times on the E620, and I am still not impressed with the speed. I can't quantify which one is faster or slower, but I think they are both slow. I almost feel like hybrid is faster. Phase shift is definitely faster.

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Olympus E620 | 25/2.8 | 50/2 | 12-60 | 14-42 | 14-54 | 40-150 | 70-300
Olympus E-P2 | Panasonic GH2 | 20/1.7 | 14-42 | 14-140
Leica M7 | M9 | 21/4 | 35/1.4 | 50/2.5 | 50/1.5 | 70/2.5 | 90/2
Sony NEX-3 | 16/2.8| 18-55
My FlickR!

that ownuser grip is not to be slept on! as much as i use the e-3, i've adapted the hld-4 but still prefer the ownuser grip. if only the ownuser had a dial & some buttons, then it'd be even more of the dream grip than it already is.

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www.iandavisphoto.com
aim s/n: idotddot

E30 ISO 100 = E510 & 520 noise wise
E30 ISO 200 a little noisier than E510 & E520 but way more DR
E30 ISO 400 -1600 trounces all E Series before.

Just spent two days in Toronto & took piles of ISO 800 + shots at the ROM.

E30 was Fabulous !

Regards;

http://gallery.photographyreview.com/sh ... mpus+E-30|
http://gallery.photographyreview.com/sh ... mpus+E-3+|

I still feel the E3 is cleaner than the E30

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E-3!
12-60 2.8-4.0
12-60 2.8-40 [Also going]
40-150 3.5-4.5
70-300 4.0-5.6
Fl-48

Hi Atomic:

I agree up to a point, but it has to balanced at 800 & 1600 by the banding....which so far E30 has shown none off....

E3 OAC JPEGS also have superior color....more natural IMHO...but E30 takes itt with more HL DR so you can capture what would otherwise be burnt to white.

If they could make a camera with the AA filter of the E510, the color and noise profile of the E3 and the DR, no banding and functionality of the E30......if, if, if.

I've fianlly accepted that I need at least 2 SLRs to satisfy even an amatuer like me !

But if someone needs an SLR why wait.... the E30/E620 are both great cameras. The E3 successor should be a killer though and thats why we have ebay !

Cheers;

Ive heard (and experimented with) Low key+0.7ev to reduce noise and banding at high iso (got a tip about it from someone on here) and it really seems to work...Id be interested in other people's findings.

BTW imaging-resource now has the e-620 images up on their comparometer... noise level seems almost identical to the e-520, but I have some issues with their house "poster"-- looks like some flowers bloomed in the poster in the e620 shot, that werent present in the e520 shot So, I dont know if its a completely different poster-- in which case the increase in shadow detail near the doorway with the e620 might not mean anything.

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https://www.photoshop.com/user/alex_the_great

John, I have a question about retaining highlights. You said that the e-3 burns certain highlights to white, which the e-30 doesnt. Couldnt you retain the same highlights with the e-3 by simply underexposing a third or two thirds of a stop?

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https://www.photoshop.com/user/alex_the_great

Yes Alex....it has been shown on dare I say dpreview, that you can definitely squeeze a little more highlight DR from the E3 by shooting RAW and underexposing a bit.....the problem with HL recovery this way though is that color "clipping" still often occurs and although you will get back some texture....the color integrity is often lost.

Same problem with E510, but E3 is IMHO a significant DR improvemnt over E510.

Don't get me wrong, the E3 produces I think probably the best overall JPEG output of any Oly cam in its comfort zone and the DR is probably all you need 99% of the time.....its the banding that put me off.

Cheers

Theres really almost no banding until ISO2500, and then its minimal there. Only at ISO3200 are there significant banding issues. Also shooting in RAW helps.

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E-3!
12-60 2.8-4.0
12-60 2.8-40 [Also going]
40-150 3.5-4.5
70-300 4.0-5.6
Fl-48

Hey Atomic:

For me almost no banding until ISO2500 is not good enough for a DSLR that cost + $ 2,000 around here even a year after release. E30 cost me under $ 1,000.

If the "E4" is everything it should be (10/12 MP, cleaner, HL DR, no banding to 3200, ergonomics of E30) then I'm prepared to buy one.....heck maybe two !

I am concerned though that the push with micro 4/3rds will defer Oly from dealing more seriously with DSLR sensor improvement..

Cheers

Hey John, since you have both the e-520 and the e-30, I wonder what your thoughts were regarding dxomark's findings that iso3200 on the e-30 is really only iso2000, so the difference in noise between the e-30 and the e-520 can be explained by the fact that the e-30 overstates the iso by 2/3 stop.

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https://www.photoshop.com/user/alex_the_great

Hi Alex:

The Dxomark results really puzzle me.....based on thier reported sensitivities I initially felt a little "ripped off" by Oly......however, as another poster pointed out to me and I verified.....my E30 shutter speed for a given apurture was not "falling" to what would be expected given the actual Dxomark ISO....so I'm really confused as to how noise and ISO relate anymore......funny thing is is Nikon D90 is about the same as E30 when it comes to stated vs measured ISO.

In my practical observations E30/E520/E510 up to ISO 400.... E30 just a tad noisier....800 & 1600 E30 looks cleaner and no banding, but E510 & E520 default colors seem better IMHO.

Never use + 1600

Cheers;

Thanks, I really appreciate the quick response. Do you find the Imager AF a bit faster on the e-30 also? I imagine the biggest difference is the dynamic range increase. How much beyond the e-520 is it in that area? Im also trying to figure out if it would be good for IR photography, but it seems like each generation of camera (not just Oly) strengthens the blocking filter.

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https://www.photoshop.com/user/alex_the_great

i still feel that people many people are overly concerned with noise. i've printed clean iso1600 (e-520) and iso3200 (e-3) shots in 8x10. could it be improved when looking @ the monitor? sure, but don't let a computer screen prevent you from using higher sensitivities.

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www.iandavisphoto.com
aim s/n: idotddot