Olympus EVOLT E-330 Digital SLR W/14-45mm Lens (7.94MP, 3136x2352, CompactFlash/Microdrive/xD-Picture Card Slot)

Reviewed by: pytas007

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Semi-pro quality DSLR, extremely comfortable to hold, LiveView with closeup mode, long lasting battery. Good software package (with RAW editor).Can be controlled using PC.

Weaknesses: No image stabilization, stock lens is slow, flash is not centered. Only 3 fps.

Overall Evaluation: Purchased the kit (14-45mm f3.5-5.6), original lens is slow. At the moment I am using 14-54 (f2.8-3.5) which is much better than the original (highly recommended upgrade). Faster focus, greater depth of field distortion. Overall camera is easy to use, has metal lens mount (Nikon D40 has plastic mount). Very good LCD monitor, nice colors, bright, swivels. Used two types of memory cards - XD and CF, I am using 4 & 8 GB CF cards (Sandisk Extreme3 and Kingston 133x, they are faster than XD cards). Ability to record Raw + JPEG at many compression levels. Self cleaning sensor is a big plus, it engages everytime when camera is turned on (a blue light blinks for 2 seconds. Camera supports a remote as well. If people are using this camera body with expensive Leika lenses (about $5000 for a lens), then it must be for a reason that this body has been chosen. For the price this is an excellent choice with many available lenses (I also have 40-150mm f3.5-4.5). Using Olympus Studio 2.X software, camera can be controled using PC (photos are recorded directly to the PC). This function allows to take the camera to the next level - semi-pro. This is a solid built camera, highly recommended with faster lens kit. Battery life is great, during 2008 Chicago Air Show took 12GB worth of shots using only one battery pack and it did not even said to be empty - still using it today.