Olympus EVOLT E-330

Model Design / Appearance
The EVOLT E-330 retains the general outline of its predecessor, the E-300, with a more or less flat top and a wide silhouette. The design works better on the new EVOLT E-330. It's softened with some curves and contours that visually group the controls and generally give the camera a more finished look than the E-300. It still looks unusual – it's obviously a camera, but not obviously a DSLR.

Size / Portability
The EVOLT E-330 is larger than most entry level DSLRs – the Pentax *ist DL, the Canon Rebel XT and the Nikon D50 are smaller. They're around a half inch narrower, and they're only taller because the E-330 has no viewfinder hump.

The EVOLT E-330 still seems to be a relatively easy DSLR to pack and transport. The flat top will make it easier to load in camera cases, and its good seals against dust and moisture will protect it against any crud met in its travels.

Handling Ability
We found the EVOLT E-330's new styling to be a big improvement for handling. The gripping surfaces are much more comfortable than the E-300’s. The handgrip's curves accommodate various sizes of hands and a range of hand positions. The odd rectangular patch on the E-300 grip is gone. It didn't fit our hands well, so that's a big improvement.

The live-view LCD is a significant handling feature, and we tentatively call it a big advantage – it's a ground-breaking option, though we need to try it for a while to see how useful it will end up being. We find Olympus’ work in labeling and placing controls logical and clear. Our tryout with the EVOLT E-330 at PMA didn't include access to a manual, and the booth staff had limited knowledge of the camera, but we sorted out all but a couple of the most arcane features of the camera in about half an hour. For a full-featured DSLR with some unique features, that's praiseworthy.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
Olympus generally builds sturdy DSLRs with well made buttons and dials. They're large controls, and they feel durable. In general, they are placed logically. The major controls for playback are clustered to the left of the LCD, with navigation on the right, conveniently placed for the user's right thumb. The shutter release is big and comfortable, with the right amount of resistance and travel.

I like to see two jog dials, one front and one back, for exposure control. The EVOLT E-330 has only one, which makes shooting in manual mode a bit more cumbersome and time consuming. All in all, though, the EVOLT E-330's controls are easy to find and use.

Menu
The EVOLT E-330's menus are easy to read, with a large, clear typeface and clear, uncrowded screens. As the E-300 before it, the EVOLT E-330 provides an exhaustive list of menu controls for image parameters, interface tweaks and shooting controls. Some of the controls lead to surprising submenus. Picture mode is an example: vivid, natural and muted color are unsurprising choices, and monochrome is also a likely setting. But monochrome leads to multiple submenus for setting contrast, sharpening, black-and-white filter emulation and image tone.

Ease of Use
We found it relatively easy to figure out the EVOLT E-330 as we looked it over, and we like its depth of control. Usage would be quicker if it had another control dial, and we much prefer cameras with more than 3 autofocus sensor locations. So, though it's simple to figure out, we expect that some of the shooting features would slow us down compared to other cameras.