Olympus EVOLT E-300

Connectivity
Software (5.5)
Olympus Master software is a collection of standard functions for personal use in a plain interface. The software performs as advertised, sorting images by capture date (file creation date if the capture date isn’t available), downsampling for email, and managing uploads to an Olympus-affiliated Ofoto.com website for printing.

Users can create and edit slide shows to load onto CompactFlash cards and run on the camera. It’s also possible to incorporate images that were not originally shot on the E-300 into the slide shows.

The RAW processing function of the software is straightforward, but limited. It offers the basic controls available on the camera – exposure compensation, white balance, contrast, saturation, and sharpness – but not with any greater flexibility than the camera provides. A frustrating element of the program is that the software spends several seconds re-rendering the displayed RAW image each time any of the controls is changed. A more practical alternative would have been to make the changes on the fly to a screen version of the image, or to add an "Apply" button, so re-rendering could wait until the user is finished tweaking all the settings.

Users who already have solid digital editing software won’t be tempted by Olympus Master. The browsers in Photoshop CS, or IView MediaPro are more flexible for reviewing sets of pictures and offer far more editing options. Master’s editing functions are primitive compared even to the $99 Photoshop Elements. I would recommend buying Elements with the camera, and not bothering with MASTER. Adobe has released a RAW converter that is compatible with E-300 ORF files.

Jacks, ports, plugs (7.5)
The E-300 sports a USB 2.0 port to connect to PCs and printers, a video out port that’s configurable for NTSC (US television) and PAL (most other televisions), an optional external power supply, and an accessory infrared remote control. There is no PC port available on the E-300.

Direct Print Options (6.0)
The E-300 is PictBridge compatible; a computer is not necessarily needed for printing and users can print their images directly from PictBridge compatible printers. The same technology allows "Print Reservation" or DPOF, which attaches printing data to images on the CompactFlash card, allowing a print order to be downloaded from the card to a photo lab. Using controls on the camera, the user can select images to print, the number of prints, whether to print the date or image name on the image, and the size of the prints. The camera will also set to print multiple images on a single sheet, or to print an index print of all images on the CompactFlash Card.

All options apply to either PictBridge or DPOF.

Battery (7.0)
The E-300 uses a Lithium-Ion battery rated at 7.2 volts and 1500 milliamp-Hours. It fits in a battery compartment on the bottom of the camera, and charges in an external charger provided in the kit. Lithium-Ion batteries are much lighter than nickel-based batteries, but provide an excellent power-to-volume ratio. Olympus projects a typical life of 500 recharges. Users report battery life of several hundred shots between recharges, but battery life depends enormously on how the camera is used, and how efficient the camera’s components are.

The E-300 dust removal system uses small motors, but it’s not clear how much power they’ll consume in typical use. Other DSLRs we’ve tested have monochrome LCDs in addition to the color display used to review images. The monochromatic LCDs typically display only text or icons, but they are much more energy-efficient than color displays. The E-300’s reliance on its color LCD for text display puts added demands on the battery.

Memory (3.0)
The E-300 accepts CompactFlash and Microdrive cards up to the largest size available, 8 gigabytes. CompactFlash is the accepted format for professional cameras, so they will continue to be available for the foreseeable future. Olympus also offers an adapter to allow the camera to accept xD-Picture Cards. Unfortunately, no media is included with the camera.

Other features (7.5)
Supersonic Wave Filter (SSWF) – The E-300’s anti-dust feature is unique to Olympus, and many users swear by it. A pretty large mechanism holds a glass window in front of the CCD, and vibrates the window at an ultrasonic frequency to shake loose dust and let the unwanted particles fall to a sticky surface below. I noted a couple of large dust motes in our review camera, and was sad to see that the mechanism did not shake them loose. It did seem to get rid of less tenacious dust.

The Olympus engineers understand that SSWF isn’t perfect. They considerately offer a cleaning mode as well. Cleaning mode opens the shutter, allowing users to manually blow away dust.

Olympus’ advertising and marketing department, however, might have grazed over that portion of the camera manual. With the slogan, "No Dust. No Specks. No Exceptions," and the flat statement that SSWF "provides the worry-free ability to switch lenses anywhere and anytime" they promise much more than the camera delivers.

Vignetting Compensation - Many wide angle lenses are appreciably darker at the corners of the frame than at the center. The E-300 can compensate for the problem with a setting called "Shading Compensation," which lightens the corners of the images.

Noise Reduction - The E-300 noise reduction system for long exposures is moderately effective, which is good, because the camera would be incapable of making useful time exposures without it. The camera uses a "dark frame" technique. If, for example, you take a 20-second exposure of a duck pond in the moonlight, the camera immediately takes another 20-second exposure of blackness. It searches the second, black frame for bright pixels, and when it finds them – on our sample, there were lots – it subtracts them from the picture you shot.