Like it Sue, all great detail as expected with oly, ive now got the E3 and though still getting to grips with it, its a impressive bit o kit, should be even better once i figure it out more...lol.

vxisme:

Like it Sue, all great detail as expected with oly, ive now got the E3 and though still getting to grips with it, its a impressive bit o kit, should be even better once i figure it out more...lol.

 

Is the E3 full frame Digital ?

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All the Best

Peter M McCall

Pete McCall:

 

Is the E3 full frame Digital ?

No. It is four thirds.

Came across this site which I found interesting: http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~rwesson/esif/om-sif/camhistory/camhistory.htm
 Guy

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My DCM Gallery

Hi Guy

Does four thirds not relate to the lens ,when I say full frame I mean the size of the sensor being the equivalent of a full 35mm film frame similar to the models Canon Nikon & Contax have available thus when used with say a 24MM it is a 24MM  FOV & not multiplied to 36MM as with some digital cameras

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All the Best

Peter M McCall

I though that 4/3s was both the mounting type of the lens and the sensor where 4/3 sensors had the equivalent of being double a conventional 35mm, i.e. 24mm focal length equates to 48mm etc.

I also think that the size of the image is a 4x3 as opposed to the normal 3x2 for 35mm (i.e. a normal 35mm will give you prints of 6"x4" with no cropping whereas the 4/3 is the same aspect ratio as conventional computer screen, e.g. a pixel size of 1024x768).

Then again I may be wrong and hopelessly off the mark.  I did see it on a website somewhere, I'll dig it out when I get home and post it on here for your info.

Cheers
Ian

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In search of that magic moment...

The 4/3 system is both the lens mount and the sensor. The lenses are designed to work with a smaller image circle which I think makes it easier to make them near telecentric.

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BPitW 9-10 June 2007.
My website My flickr

I see

 

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All the Best

Peter M McCall

I went to have a play with the E-3, an awesome bit of kit, but the only thing i didnt like about it was the location of the on/off switch, which was in a similar place to canons

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dont be afriad that your life is going to end, be afraid that it will never begin!

www.eddfury.com - My landscape photography work!

eddo123:

I went to have a play with the E-3, an awesome bit of kit, but the only thing i didnt like about it was the location of the on/off switch, which was in a similar place to canons

 

Are Any Pros Using It  ?

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All the Best

Peter M McCall

In answer to your questions about the underlying principles behind Olympus's 4/3rds format, have a look at the website below:

http://www.olympusamerica.com/e3/?emc=hg07

The headings at the top of the page, Features / specifications / Lenses /etc should answer all of your questions. Noooo, it is not full-frame, which refers to DSLRs which have a sensor the same size as 35mm film.

There are very few of them and although they offer users the benefit of the same angle of view that 35mm lenses have, which variants of the APS-C format - the most commonly seen sensor size on DSLRs - do not. Another benefit of full-frame (if you can afford one!) is being able to use all of your legacy optics. The downside of this format is that the optics are degraded because they were never designed for imaging sensors (Whilst Olympus's 4/3rds optics have been specifically designed to match the sensor used with totally new designs.) The image ratio for 4/3rds is 1:1.33, which is a 'squarer' format than the 35mm and APS-C ones. I have owned an E-1 since early 2005 and am more than happy with the results I get from it, even in comparison to the Minolta Dynax 9 I also still use, which is a 35mm film camera, and I then put the negs/slides through a 9600dpi film scanner!

The lack of chromatic distortion and fringing on 4/3rds lenses is excellent, whilst images produced by Olly's 7-14mm zoom (14-28mm on 35mm format) make it a class leader and unsurpassed respect to it's angle of view (114 degrees) and high speed of f4.o. Ok, so this and certainly the largest telephoto they make, are expensive, but just see what other manufacturers want price-wise for optics with a similar specification ... (150mm f2.o and 300mm f2.8 - multiply the focal length by 2 for 35mm equivilents) This quality, is never going to be cheap from any manufacturer, and in some cases, is even more expensive.

As for the use of E-1s and E-3s by pros, there are quite a few, it's just that Olympus's publicity and marketing departments either can't be bothered to 'Crow' on about users, or maybe it's because they feel that a reputation built on 'word of mouth' opinions, is more powerful. If you want to see examples of what these cameras can deliver, have a look here:

http://www.four-thirds.org/en/about/gallery.html

The problem with using the term 'pro' is that to many it conjures up rows of sports photographers. If you think about it, the majority of those making a living out of photography are more likely to be shooting weddings, products, portraits, pets etc. No reason why Olympus can't hold their own in most cases. The main problem would seem to be the long gap between the E-1 and E-3. Some were happy to keep plugging away with the E-1, or even add one of the lower end models, others must have decamped to Canikon.

Olympus Zuiko lenses are truly excellent in most cases!

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a few mediocre pics

Sam Chapman:

I

http://www.four-thirds.org/en/about/gallery.html

If you follow Sam's link there is a section called Standard under the About Four Thirds drop down menu which explains a lot too.
Guy

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My DCM Gallery

Pete McCall:

Are Any Pros Using It  ?

Well, David Bailey has been involved with promoting the E3 so suspect he's at least had a go.

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BPitW 9-10 June 2007.
My website My flickr

veggiesosage:

Pete McCall:

Are Any Pros Using It  ?

Well, David Bailey has been involved with promoting the E3 so suspect he's at least had a go.

 

Yeah But David would have us believe that he used an Olympus Trip at Weddings  if we were that naive , lets fail it David is there for the Dosh , But pro usage I mean Fleet St type usage

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All the Best

Peter M McCall

I suppose newspaper stuff is less dependent on quality and more on lens availability, speed and durability. I'd assume there are'nt many, if any, pro sports photographers using Olympus [go on prove me wrong!]. I still think the E-3 is simply another camera in the enthusiast/semi pro range of the D200/300/Fuji S5Pro etc. Olympus enthusiasts are, hopefully, going to love it but it will need rave reviews and something special to convert others. I read a piece yesterday about someone trying one - putting on an old 40-150 the AF speed was OK - putting on one of the high speed AF lenses it was amazing. So it certainly seems like a case of spending a fair bit to get the best out of it!

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a few mediocre pics