Delivering on the Promise of the 4/3 System?
by Wesley Fink on December 24, 2007 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- What's New with Wes
When we were taking a look at the new Digital SLR cameras for our recent Digital SLR Buyers Guide the Olympus E-510 proved to be a really impressive entry - except for one serious flaw. This small, fast, reasonably-priced 10 megapixel DSLR came with kit lenses that were also very small and much better quality than we normally see in kit lenses from the bigger players. It also featured Live View, which was pioneered by Olympus, body-integral Image Stabilization that worked with any lens, and automatic sensor cleaning, which was also pioneered by Olympus but which is now finding its way into cameras from all the makers.
We were reminded how far the 4/3 system had developed with the E-510 and made a mental note to take a closer look at the Olympus E-3 to see if Olympus could finally fix their biggest issue. The E-3 is the Pro level DSLR which had been announced as a replacement for the four year old and seriously out-of-date E-1, and no there was never an E-2.
This photo shows the new E-3 with the 12-60 SWD lens beside the current E-410 with standard 14-42mm lens. The E-3 is about the same size as a Nikon D300, where the E-410/510 are the smallest production DSLRs available today. The magnesium body and weather-sealing adds size and weight to the E-3 but ergonomics are still excellent. The top Pro lenses like the 12-60 SWD are also weather-sealed which adds size and weight.
I have toyed with the 4/3 digital SLR system several times since it was introduced in 2003, shrugged my shoulders and gone back to Nikon or Canon (or lately Sony/Minolta or Pentax). Frankly, I had about given up on 4/3, but when Olympus dropped the E-3 on us a few weeks ago it showed us that 4/3 really could be all that was promised when it was introduced. The current E-410/E-510 answer the original 4/3 promise of small, while the new E-3 breaks new ground in 4/3 system performance.
ANY DSLR system is about lenses in the end, and Olympus 4/3 is blessed with superb optics. To get an idea of how really great the new Olympus glass is you need to use some of the top 4/3 lenses. If you are skeptical a computer site like AT can know anything about photography, then be my guest and read a few of the big photo sites like dpreview, imaging-resource, or dcresource. They all have finally admitted in reviews of the E-410 and E-510 that Olympus has the best kit lenses of any camera maker, and that yes the Olympus claim that lenses designed for digital produce better quality images is proving to be true. www.slrgear.com, which is affiliated with imaging-resource, even went so far as to test most of the current Olympus lenses after being so impressed with the kit lenses.
The Olympus issue has never been glass, nor has it been mount, since the 4/3 mount is all-electronic with a motor in every lens just like Canon. It has really been the options you had (or rather didn't have) in camera bodies to use with this excellent Olympus glass. As great as the current E-410 and E-510 really are, they are still saddled with the serious handicap of an ancient and not particularly sensitive 3-point autofocus system, and there just wasn't a choice of anything better from Olympus. That is until the E-3.
The E-3 takes Olympus AF from outdated technology to state-of-the-art, and as soon as the new 11-point, all cross sensor, dual-plane AF module makes its way down the food chain, no one can ignore Olympus any more. Perhaps Olympus can also find a way to move the terrific E-3 feature of AF with manual touch-up down the food chain as well - because the other big Olympus issue is that stupid "Manual focus by wire" feature and Manual Focus select by menu. Canon has offered the manual touchup after auto-focus as a feature on Pro models for some time and it is good to see Olympus doing the same with their E-3 body and lenses – and SWD (Supersonic Wave Motor) lenses in particular.
There are currently 32 lenses available for the 4/3 system plus teleconverters, extension tubes, etc. You can find a complete listing and specifications at http://www.four-thirds.org/en/products/lense.html. Four of the lenses are from Leica, and these include the fast normal 25mm f1.4 and three lenses that feature Optical Image Stabilization, which they call Mega O.I.S. This makes the 4/3 system the only one I am currently aware of that has both body integral mechanical stabilization and optical stabilization as options. This could be the equipment needed for a very interesting test comparison of mechanical vs. optical I.S. to try provide answers to an argument based on emotion more than fact. I have tried the Leica 14-50mm f2.8-3.5 on the E3 and both the IS and Optical I.S. worked very well individually. However, when both were activated they seemed to cancel each other out and were not effective.
Another interesting lens is the new Leica 14 -150mm f3.5-5.6 Mega O.I.S. This features a Leica brand lens with an equivalent 28mm-300mm focal length with built-in Optical Image Stabilization. Lenses that have super long focal length ranges generally make too many compromises, but this Leica walk-around lens is really intriguing with 4 aspherical and 1 ED elements used to correct lens aberrations.
Another interesting lens is the new Leica 14 -150mm f3.5-5.6 Mega O.I.S. This features a Leica brand lens with an equivalent 28mm-300mm focal length with built-in Optical Image Stabilization. Lenses that have super long focal length ranges generally make too many compromises, but this Leica walk-around lens is really intriguing with 4 aspherical and 1 ED elements used to correct lens aberrations.
I am completely and totally impressed with the E-3. All the lenses are designed for 4/3 mount and for best performance on a 4/3 camera - they aren't 35mm film designs. No other camera in its class offers the combination of effective live-view, built-in image stabilization, the best auto sensor cleaning you can buy, an articulating LCD that can fold away for protection (AND a top LCD for basic data that is missing from the Sony A700), a built-in pop-up flash, effective dust and splash sealing of the camera AND the lenses, a popularly-priced zoom that covers the equivalent of 140mm to 600mm and does Macro up to equivalent life size (70-300mm), MUCH improved noise reduction that goes to ISO 3200, user-programmable Auto ISO that can cover the full ISO range (Canon still stubbornly refuses to fully offer this option), and the best range of available lenses DESIGNED FOR a digital camera system.
At first it looks like the 10 megapixel Live MOS sensor is a bit pedestrian for a new Pro camera until you do the sensor math. The truth is that 4/3 and APS C sensors are almost exactly the same height, and the only real difference is the width for 4:3 is around 18mm compared to the 22.2mm for the 35mm shape 2:3 ratio APS C sensor. Put another way if you take a 10 megapixel 4/3 sensor and filled in the sides to 2:3 ratio the sensor would have 12.5 megapixel resolution. This means a 10 megapixel 4/3 sensor is very similar in resolution in the shared photo (4:3) area to a 12 megapixel APS C sensor. There is no substantive difference in the size of a 4/3 sensor and an APS C, and those who think the 4/3 is much smaller need to do some research. This was demonstrated recently by PopPhoto in a review of the Panasonic DMC-L10 and the Leica 14-50mm F3.8-5.6. They found resolution for the L10 as 2350 lines at ISO100, which out-resolves the Sony 12.2MP A700 (and presumably the Nikon D300 which uses the same sensor). The difference is ratios and diagonals. 4/3 tries to match photo sizes and the 4/3 ratio yields a smaller diagonal and APS C tries to match the shape of 35mm with a 3:2 ratio and a larger diagonal (image circle). Olympus, Leica, and Panasonic also use a Panasonic MOS sensor and not the Canon or Sony used by everyone else.
The E-3 is a bargain for a true PRO grade camera - and it is easily built as well as the Nikon D3 or the top Canons which are $5000 or more. However, most will find the E-3 expensive unless they are serious photo hobbyists or Pros, and Olympus needs to move the E-3 refinements down to E-510 price levels as fast as they can.
This time around I bought an E-3 and a 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD - and the tiny little excellent-quality kit lenses for when the 12-60mm weighs too much and I can compromise just a little on quality. The system has been quickly filled out with other 4/3 lenses and accessories. It now sits beside my Canon and Nikon equipment, and one of those systems will liquidated.
The E-3 is a great piece of creative engineering, an area Olympus is known for. After all they invented auto-sensor cleaning and live view - features which are now finding their way to every DSLR. This is the best Olympus camera EVER, and once you have used it you will be hooked.
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haplo602 - Thursday, January 3, 2008 - link
ah sorry, I got the comparison the wrong way around :-) You see it's confusing :-))End User - Wednesday, December 26, 2007 - link
As I was reading this article I was initially comparing the E-3 to the D200 (5fps/11 focus points/sealed body). I was shocked to find out that the E-3 was priced in D300 territory! That is a tough sell for me. Pricing the E-3 closer to the D200 makes more sense. For me the D300 has a number of advantages over the E-3 (8fps with MB-D10/51 focus points/TIFF/HDMI/lenses).The biggest shortcoming with the E3 is the Four Thirds System itself.
I am very happy with my 85mm f/1.4 AF-D on my D80. As this lens was released in 1996 it was not designed for a digital body yet it functions perfectly on one. While the 85mm f/1.4 AF-D works well on my D80 it really shines on a full frame body such as the D3. This highlights the biggest flaw with the E3 and the Four Thirds System - there is no upgrade path to full frame. The investment I have made in non-DX format lenses will carry over to a future full frame camera purchase. If I were to invest in the Four Thirds System I would be stuck with the Four Thirds System and that is not a good investment at all.
erichK - Wednesday, December 26, 2007 - link
To quote the Leitz website:Oskar Barnack's genius idea of creating the small format 35mm camera created a revolution in photography in 1925, paving the way for the birth of the Leica ..
I find it incredibly hidebound that when, 75 years later Olympus --whose revered camera design visionary Maitani drew much of his inspiration and optical standards from Leitz-- dares to push ahead with a truly made-for-digital format, standard and optics it is met by the same simplistic arguments that Speed Graphic toting traditionalists of the 1950's,\ used to deride 35mm.
Please judge, instead, by the actual image quality. Look at the Lauri Sippu website among many others, to see what even the 2002 E-1, with half the resolution of the E-3 could produce.
There are certainly applications for which 4:3rds sensors are too small. For these, large heavy and much more expensive 35mm "Full Frame"format sensors are now occupying the place that medium format equipment once did.
For most of us, progress toward smaller, lighter and more convenient formats, in which APC and 4:3rds are simply current milestones, will continue.
melgross - Friday, December 28, 2007 - link
Eric, what is so "digital" about 4:3? I can't think of a single thing.One of the thoughts about 4:3 when it was first announced, was that the cameras would be smaller, something like the old Olympus OM-1, and others. But, these cameras aren't really smaller. The lens backfocus isn't shorter, and the lens mount isn't smaller.
There is nothing special about 4:3 either.
Wesley Fink - Monday, December 31, 2007 - link
The E-410 is the smallest and thinnest production DSLR, and the 14-42mm and 40-150mm (35mm equivalent 28-300mm total) kit lenses are absolutely tiny. The E-510 is the same camera with a larger hand grip and built-in image stabilization. Early 4/3 cameras were not smaller, but the recent models are finally delivering on the 4/3 promise.It is true the E-3 is a large camera - about as large as the D300 or 40D, but it is a full magnesium-alloy frame body with full dust and splash sealing of the body and the larger Pro series lenses. The 70-300mm (140-600mm equivalent) lens is very small compared to any other lens capable of the same equivalent focal length on any other brand. The 35mm f3.5 is the smallest and lightest full macro lens (1:1 native and 2:1 35mm equivalent) lens you can buy.
The promise of smaller with 4/3 is certainly real with the current cameras and lenses.
End User - Thursday, December 27, 2007 - link
Sorry to burst your bubble but neither the E-3 nor the D300 are pro cameras.According to the E-3 spec sheet it is "splash proof". The D300 "features an enhanced sealing system that helps protect against moisture and dust." I would say they have the same level of environmental protection. As far as chassis strength is concerned I have no doubt that the D300 is very stout in that category as well.
Having thought about it even more I now compare the E3 it to the 40D. While comparable on features the 40D is $400 cheaper.
As far as the 4:3rds system leading the charge "toward smaller, lighter and more convenient formats" I say balderdash. Both the XTI and the D40 are small/light cameras that don't use the 4:3rds system.
Lauri Sippu's photos are not good examples - lots of noise/not that sharp. Some examples from the Bears in Findland page: Row 1 - Image 3 / Row 3 - Image 2 / Row 5 - Image 1.
http://homepage.mac.com/lsippu/PhotoAlbum17.html">http://homepage.mac.com/lsippu/PhotoAlbum17.html
Wesley Fink - Thursday, December 27, 2007 - link
When you use your D300 in pouring rain or drop it in wet snow you will see what sealing is about. The E1 was famous for handling wet since the body AND lenses are sealed. The E-3 is supposedly even better.The Europe Press launch for E-3 was in pouring rain in Istanbul. Most of the Europe reviews made a big deal of this since not a single failure occured with all the E-3's shooting in pouring rain. Try that with a D300.
You are certainly entitled to choose what you wish but don't confuse examination of sensor specs with the term Pro. The E-3 is rated at 150,000 shutter actuations where the D300 is rated at 100,000 and the D80 at 50,000. 150,000 is a common Pro value for this specification.
End User - Thursday, December 27, 2007 - link
"don't confuse examination of sensor specs with the term Pro"Don't confuse "splash proof" and "150,000 shutter actuations" with the term Pro. (The E-3's sensor is consumer grade BTW)
"The E-3 is the Pro level DSLR which had been announced as a replacement for the four year old and seriously out-of-date E-1, and no there was never an E-2."
It took them 4 years to revise their "Pro" camera?!? That does not sound like a company that has their act together.
You are very keen on touting this as a pro camera. The camera is competing spec/price wise with consumer Canons/Nikons (and it's overpriced to boot). What does that tell you? It's not even close when you compare the E3 to the Canon/Nikon Pro line (spec/sensor/lenses).
Lord 666 - Thursday, December 27, 2007 - link
Agreed as true photography is based more on skill and experience than the gear.What really defines a "pro" camera? I know of many "pro's" that use a D200 for their backup. Put a Coolpix 950 in the hands of someone with talent and their pictures will be better than Joe Average with a D3.
Granted, this is a technology site where we are all supposed to get excited about the latest and greatest. But photography is a completely different animal. The closest comparison I can think of is putting Fatal1ty using a 6800GT and AMD 3800 x2 vs. Joe Blow using quad cord with triple SLI 8800's. Wendall would win regardless.
End User - Thursday, December 27, 2007 - link
"photography is based more on skill and experience than the gear"That goes without saying.