4Very full-featured DSLRs for under $1,000 are becoming common. With a 10-megapixel Four-Thirds format sensor, dust control, live preview and image stabilization, Olympus's EVOLT E-510 has all the hot features of the sub-$1,000 DSLR category. It's also a small, good-looking DSLR to boot.
Connectivity Software
At PMA, Olympus did not present information about software that will be bundled with the EVOLT E-510. It will probably ship with a current version of Olympus Master software, the bundle that has been included with earlier EVOLT models. Our previous experience with Olympus Master has been positive – it has been stable on both Macintosh and Windows, and it provides a convenient browser, along with editing and output tools. The RAW converter has offered parameters comparable to the ones on the camera – nothing beyond that.
Jacks, Ports, Plugs
The EVOLT E-510 has a combination USB/analog video jack on the back, an infrared remote sensor on the grip, and a hot shoe on top. It does not appear to accept an external power supply.
Direct Print Options The EVOLT E-510 is compatible with both PictBridge and DPOF direct printing, but the information we could gather at PMA did not include information about how much of the protocols the E-510 will support. Look to our full review for information about data imprinting, index prints, print sizes, and number of prints and layouts.
Battery
The EVOLT E-510 accepts a custom Lithium Ion battery. Lithium-ion is the preferred technology for DSLR batteries because it stores more energy for its size and weight than other technologies.
Memory The EVOLT E-510 accepts both Compact Flash cards and xD media cards. Compact flash is one of the older media types. It is fast, available in a range of capacities, and relatively inexpensive. Olympus helped develop xD media, which is much smaller than Compact Flash and often more expensive.
Other Features Pixel Mapping – The EVOLT E-510 has a technology to identify single malfunctioning pixels, and to remove them from images.
High-key and Low-key – These settings direct the EVOLT E-510 to maintain bright or dark scenes.
Kelvin equivalents for white balance presets – The EVOLT E-510 indicates the Kelvin color temperature value of each preset, giving the user a guide for setting Kelvin temperature directly – i.e., if the image is too blue at Daylight 5300K, the user might want to try a flat 5000K or 4900K instead.
