Olympus Checking Out The Olympus E-510 in 2024 (image heavy)

Location
Central Ohio, USA
Name
Andrew
You may have seen some other threads where i was investigating the E-300 from Olympus.
After messing with if for a bit, I figured out how to get the best out of it. Very cool camera!

I was looking to see if I could find a good deal on a 4/3 camera with IBIS and found one today at the local camera store for $100 - the E-510.

Took it out for a walk about today and really liked it!

Feels good in the hand and responds well. I can see me using this with the E-300 - one with the 14-45mm and the other with the 40-150mm.

Surprised at just how useful the live view is. Focus was fast and accurate. Great job Olympus on this implementation!
I still have a lot of experimentation to do, but I think that the out of camera JPGs might even be usable with a little tweaking of the settings. Even if they are not - I can still pull a lot from the RAW files!

Olympus had a winner system in 4/3! I might even see if I can find a good deal on the Panasonic DMC L1! I discovered that this exists just a few days ago and I really do like the form factor of it (I have the GX85 and I can see where Panny got the styling queues).

2024 and I can still see where a lot of people would still like to shoot with something like this.

Anyway - some pics from today!

1
03-30-2024_cbus_E510_P3300875-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


2
03-30-2024_cbus_E510_P3300878-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


3
03-30-2024_cbus_E510_P3300880-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


4
03-30-2024_cbus_E510_P3300884-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


5
03-30-2024_cbus_E510_P3300889-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


6
03-30-2024_cbus_E510_P3300892-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


7
03-30-2024_cbus_E510_P3300904-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


8
03-30-2024_cbus_E510_P3300909-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


9
03-30-2024_cbus_E510_P3300913-tpai-Edit.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


10 - live view shot - low angle
03-30-2024_cbus_E510_P3300921-tpai-Edit.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


11
03-30-2024_cbus_E510_P3300926-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
Answers my questions in the other thread, Andrew.

After the Nikon Coolpix E5000, it was my first digital ILC, nudging out the Nikon D200 and Sigma SD 14.

I still have the camera, and some of the best photos I have ever taken in some 65+ years were taken with it, and its two humble kit lenses, the 14-42 ED and 40-150 ED. No dust, real IBIS, two card slots, and live view. What more could one want in 2007?
 
So far, really liking the E-510.

Found out that the local camera store just got in a used E-30. I know it is newer - but not sure it is enough of a change from the E-510 (which I really just got for the iS) to justify getting it.

From what I read, it is basically a smaller version of the E-3 - which may be cool...but I'm thinking at this point to leave "well enough alone" unless anyone out there can give me any compelling reason to upgrade.
I heard and have seen that even though the E-510 is running a Live MOS sensor and the E-300 is the kodak CCD - the colors from the sensors are pretty close as to be basically identical.

My concern is that I got the E-300/510 for that "vintage" color science...does the E-30 have that too or is it too far down the line where it is starting to look more "modern".

From what I can see the only thing that "may" be worth the upgrade to the E-30 is the ability to auto focus fine tune each individual focus point.
However - in my brain, scary as it is to peek under the hood as it is...if I'm thinking of going E-30, does it make sense to just find a good deal on an E-5 and go all in?!

Can you tell I've got more money than sense! LOL
 
So far, really liking the E-510.

Found out that the local camera store just got in a used E-30. I know it is newer - but not sure it is enough of a change from the E-510 (which I really just got for the iS) to justify getting it.

From what I read, it is basically a smaller version of the E-3 - which may be cool...but I'm thinking at this point to leave "well enough alone" unless anyone out there can give me any compelling reason to upgrade.
I heard and have seen that even though the E-510 is running a Live MOS sensor and the E-300 is the kodak CCD - the colors from the sensors are pretty close as to be basically identical.

My concern is that I got the E-300/510 for that "vintage" color science...does the E-30 have that too or is it too far down the line where it is starting to look more "modern".

From what I can see the only thing that "may" be worth the upgrade to the E-30 is the ability to auto focus fine tune each individual focus point.
However - in my brain, scary as it is to peek under the hood as it is...if I'm thinking of going E-30, does it make sense to just find a good deal on an E-5 and go all in?!

Can you tell I've got more money than sense! LOL
Andrew, while the E-30 was my main camera for about 7 years, and better than the E-510 in many ways, its CFA was odd. It gave cyan blues and Nikon greens. The OoC JPEGs could be adjusted to be reasonably accurate, but the RAWs were not colour accurate OoC.

It had a far superior OVF (about 100% FoV and 1x magnification, also pentaprism, not pentamirror, as in the E-510), and better IBIS.

Looking back, I prefer the E-510 for lots of reasons, the main one being its better, truer colour, SooC, but also its handling and size/weight. It really is a ripper camera, and well deserving of the CIPA award it won.

BTW, I never used the AF fine tune, nor needed to.
 
Andrew, while the E-30 was my main camera for about 7 years, and better than the E-510 in many ways, its CFA was odd. It gave cyan blues and Nikon greens. The OoC JPEGs could be adjusted to be reasonably accurate, but the RAWs were not colour accurate OoC.

It had a far superior OVF (about 100% FoV and 1x magnification, also pentaprism, not pentamirror, as in the E-510), and better IBIS.

Looking back, I prefer the E-510 for lots of reasons, the main one being its better, truer colour, SooC, but also its handling and size/weight. It really is a ripper camera, and well deserving of the CIPA award it won.

BTW, I never used the AF fine tune, nor needed to.

You've sold me to stay with the devil I know - the E-510! That is exactly the kind of first hand information I was hoping to get.
 
Further to what I wrote before, Andrew, I would give away my E-30, but not my E-510. I think that says it all, really.

Honestly, its very hard for me to find fault in the E-300 and the E-510 I do wish sometimes that the E-300 had IBIS...but I shoot it mainly with the 14-45mm, so less of an issue.

I just got the Olympus Digital 70-300mm f/4-5.6 in the mail today. Got it from a pawn shop in AZ for $75. Tests on the E-510 and in my dimly lit office show promise. I only have half a day of work tomorrow, so plan on going out with the pups and seeing what this bad johnny can do. I think the IBIS in the E-510 will be helpful for that 300mm end as the weather here has decided to pretend like it's winter again.

I will say though that I am not really having a problem with the Olympus DSLRs high ISO noise - much like the OM-D E-M5, the sensor noise is relatively organic and if I have to shoot above ISO 400, I can run it through topaz photo ai or don't do any noise reduction and go straight to monochrome!

I know these compact point and shoot / bridge cameras are all the rage - but people really are missing out with these old DSLRs...if I had to sell off a lot of my gear, I'd have a hard time letting go of the Minolta Maxxum 7D and these Olympus E series gems!
 
If you’re giving away E-30’s 🙋🏻‍♂️
I would probably give it to my niece, or a friend who live locally, Chris.

The E-30 has the industrial shutter mechanism and IBIS of the E-3 in it. Apart from the CFA problem, it's an excellent camera, in every respect.

My friend at Olympus Oz bought it for me at staff rates/discount, along with the superb 14-54 MkII lens - about 33% reduction from RRP, about AUD$1500 vs AUD$2200!
 
Additional info on the 70-300mm.

Superb up through about 280mm, where it gets a little softer.
Other than that, which is totally fixable in post...the lens is actually really great. A little on the big side, but not a whole lot bigger than the 40-150/3.5-4.5

Having the IBIS on the E-510 helps a lot on the long end and during our overcast Ohio days.

My favorite shot from today's walk around (processed from RAW):
04-05-2024_ashville_E510_P4051011-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
I let my wife pick what I shot today. She walked into the office, looked into the camera cabinet and picked the E-510.

A few from today that I've not posted in other threads.
Processed from RAW.

1
04-24-2024_tippcity_E510_P4241181-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


2
04-24-2024_tippcity_E510_P4241175-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


3
04-24-2024_tippcity_E510_P4241143-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


4
04-24-2024_tippcity_E510_P4241133-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


5
04-24-2024_tippcity_E510_P4241129-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


6
04-24-2024_tippcity_E510_P4241103-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


7
04-24-2024_tippcity_E510_P4241091-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


8
04-24-2024_tippcity_E510_P4241090-tpai.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
Back
Top