Olympus E-510 Reviews: Digital SLR Camera

+ once you get used to the way the menu works it is quite easy to use. the more you know about photography the more you can get out of this camera! Live view is really helpful

- Sometimes the flash seems to take a while to go off after popping up, creating a lag effect when taking photos in low light. Could be to do with automatic settings, which may be fixable with manual overrides. I am not an expert, so not sure how other cameras compare

+ For the money this package is outstanding. The quality is a clear notch up on my previous Fujifilm 9500. I'm particularly pleased with the quality of images taken with the separate Olympus flash unit that I bought at the same time.

- With all the features the menus take a bit of getting used to but with a bit of practise they're not really a problem.

+ The auto function is so good I don't want to turn it off! The image stabiliser makes long range photos a doddle and the live view is great when you don't want to see all the action through a viewfinder.

- I haven't found any bad points yet!

+ Very reasonable price for really good SLR camera...

- Didn't find any yet.

+ Image quality

- It is a little slow

+ Great price

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Upgraded from e500. Image stabiliser is great, picture quality as good as anyin its class

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Very easy to use. Included a training DVD. That helps me a lot. Excellent emage quality. For a learner or a beginner it is superb.

- Accesorries like flash guns and lenses are too expensive. (Same as other DSLR). Should be included an extra lense as well.

+ Good image quality for a very cheap purchase price. A feature packed product which suits my needs very well.

- The usual 4/3 problem with viewfinder size and clarity but it is really not a great problem for me even with spectacles

+ easy to use, superb lenses, not too heavy, excellent images, can use CF cards as well as xD cards, plenty of manually adjustable features but also with great fully auto mode, well laid out buttons, great battery life (easily 300+ shots per charge), charger comes with EU plug as well as UK.

- none really, minor niggle such as lens cap does not come with cord connection to camera/lens so keeps dropping, but can't think of anything else.

+ Easy to use.
Able to fine adjust the autofocus to get the perfect shot.
Live view is great for composing shots.
Minimal shutter delay.

- Can't think of any.

+ More features than equivalent,top equipment

- small viewfinder

+ havent had full chance to play with the camera, but a nice and easy to use piece of kit with a quality feel and good imaging

- Reviewer left no comment

+ I chose the 510 mainly because I like olympus and the live view.

- I found it very complicated so far but after many evenings practicing ,it is getting a bit easier to use .............. there are so many functions to learn about .

+ Basic functions are easy to find and use (review/delete auto-focus/scene choice etc)
Easy to set up,and playback through T.V. Software is complex but self explanitory,looking forward to
experimenting with pictures.
All in all,I am very pleased I upgraded to a proper camera.

- None really,just understanding the more complex instructions might take a while to master,but is great fun
to experiment with,I will get there eventually!!!.

+ Very good value for money digitalSRL, with image stablizer and dust reduction. As an inexperienced photographer too early to say much more.

- Not rated as "Which" best buy but as a starter package looks OK at the moment.

+ Haven't had time yet to study and master properly instructions and therefore camera's facilities. Seems a well equipped and sophisticated machine for the money. What is immediately attractive is the low weight and ergonomic design.

- None discernible

+ Good performance and comprehensive facilities. Good price at time of buying.

- None found yet.

+ very compact dslr with loads of features, easy of use, absolute worth of money.

- the manual is quite difficult to understand with few details on some part.

+ Manageable weight, stylish and sturdy build. Excellent value for money.

- All those buttons! As a returner to the photography hobby, there is a lot to get to grips with, but every button has a useful function.

+ Easy to use, feels good quality, menu easily navigable, good colour repoduction.

- In auto program the flash has a habit of engaging when you don't expect it to, but this is probably down to my lack of experiance in using the camera. Otherwise no problems at all.

+ Slightly larger size (compared with Nikons &c) is good for those of us with large hands. Olympus 4/3 system means the two lenses give great flexibility

- Metering information in viewfinder is difficult to see when used in vertical format

+ precision made camera

- case not included

+ 1st class image quality, solid build, versatile and at a great price

- Menus take a while to get used to.

+ Has to be the price - all these features and two lenses has to be good. However for a newbie to DSLR like me, the manual is pretty easy to read and lots of tips to be found in books and the internet all helped me shoot impressive pictures pretty quickly

- None that I've found and none that aren't about me being anamateur (i.e. finding my way around all the buttons and gadgets assocaiated with a camera sch as this).

+ Easy to use, the extremly clear viewing screen, easy to use menu, build quality and feel are great.

- The only thing I would fault is the position of some of the buttons, as I some times press them due to my large thumb, but otherwise it is as near perfect as possible.

+ good pictures and features

- master editing very poor

+ Good value and well made. Potentially excellent picture quality.

- Doesn't focus properly! Tends to focus too close (particularly with wide angle zoom lens) and objects near infinity are often out of focus.

+ It's much more compact than a Canon and the controls are not overly complicated. Being a 4/3rds system the lenses are also compact. Battery life is superb. I bought two spare but have not needed them. Being Olympus it is very well made and feels well balanced. The fact that with an adaptor I can use my old OM System lenses is a definite bonus. As the rest of the world seems to use Canon DSLR's the E510 makes you feel that you are not another sheep following the flow. To use a car analogy, everyone else drives a Ford Focus, but you drive an Audi.

- Coming from a film SLR background I find the lack of manual focusing aides frustrating, also the shutter speed information in the view is very unclear - not a patch on my old OM2. E System is not as extensive os the OM System and the lenses are split into 3 group: Standard, Pro, and Top Pro. The image quality of the Standard lenses is prehaps not as good as I was expecting, but maybe I'm just getting old.

+ Fully automatic point and shoot - if that is your style. On the other hand, you can use this mode until you get used to the many different ways you can set up the camera to take your own style of picture, be that aperture or shutter priority. Good depth of field and edge to edge definition.

- Cannot fault the camera, but at this price, it would be nice if it came with an ECR case for protection, instead of no case at all.

+ The quality of images/photos is excellent, you do need to have the additional zoom lense for distant shots.

- I think some of the features are over complicated and it is too easy to get into the wrong mode which can take time to sort out

+ Impressive quality prints. The facility to take pictures in monochrome, tints. The DVD was good to help me to learn how to use my first digital SLR. Batter capacity is good. The lenses are easy to change and the lens cleaning mechanism is clever.

- The function buttons take a while to find but okay once you know where they are. Would be good to have a memory card and camera bag supplied but these can be purchased reasonably on internet.

+ excellent results and user friendly

- little information available on lenses and focal length converters

+ takes excelent pictures

- the usermanual is quite complicatet to understand for the beginer

+ Good handling, easy controls, fast shooting. Dual cards is fantastic. Wife learned to use it very quickly, and prefers it to compact. Lenses small and protable.

- Best to avoid full auto mode if you want to control want you are doing and not let the computer take the easy opition.

+ Great camera, good quality, very good price with bundle

- Reviewer left no comment

+ From my limited experience, I think it focuses quickly and accurately and sits nicely in the hand.

- Perhaps a little bigger than I would have liked but this is the choice I made when I went to digital SLR. I think some of the minor function buttons are a little footery and possibly ,for me, the camera does too much

+ Easy to get started with

- So many features to get use to

+ Image stabilisation is fantastic; rarely fooled by difficult lighting conditions; compact; quiet; menu is quick to grasp and most important functions are accessed by command buttons. Dust removal system so far has worked faultlessly.

- 3 autofocus points is a little bit limiting and the button for switching between these points is sometimes fiddly to use

+ Intuative, handles well,loads of features

- Some movement between lens and camera while zooming.

+ easy to use light to carry takes exellent pictures in different situations with out breaking the bank

- havent found any yet

+ Image stabiliser

- There is no mention in the manual of the vibration caused by the stabilizer which occurs when switching off the camera. otherwise all is well.

+ Image stabiliser; live view; easy to use; two decent lenses included; relatively lightweight.

- Auto focus requires flash to be up. Strobing of flash can also become annoying. Colour balance could be improved.

+ Excellent photo clarity.
No more shook pictures and easy to use.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ picture quality,the build,the live veiw,how it gives you loads of per-settings

- hard to follow at first

+ a realy great camera easy to use and plenty of features to bring into play.

- can not find any

+ As this is my first Digital SLR I canonly compare it with my pre purchase expectations of what I wanted from a camera from Olympus. Having previously owned a 35mm camera and compact from them I knew that the build quality would be good and so far I have no complaints on any aspect of the camera: it's ease of use or the quality of the images.

- None so far.

+ good package

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Loads of features, excellent image quality. Camera has a good feel to it.

- None so far.