Introduction:

The Olympus TG-810 is the latest offering from Olympus and the camera is being designed to resist the hardships of life in all sort of places. The TG-810 undoubtedly is waterproof, dustproof, smashproof, freezeproof and scratchproof camera and hence it easily could withstand a little bit of rough handling. The TG-810 also has digital compass and GPS in-built. All these specs of the TG-810 asks a price and we must say that the camera is rather bulky, heavy and even has a plethora of buttons which sometimes becomes hard to operate.

Design:

The Olympus Tough TG-810 is a 14 MP camera having 5 xs zoom, and has a tough body. The Tough TG-810 is waterproof upto 10 m, dustproof against dirt and sand, and the camera easily could be operated at sub-zero conditions, the camera is shockproof against drips of around two meters, and the camera could withstand the crush of 100KG force without getting any major damage.

All these are rather impressive specifications and the Tough TG-810 feels exactly how its numbers suggests it should feel. The Tough TG-810 has a nicely built body which feels rather solid and unyielding and it’s remarkably weighty. The weight of the camera is both a pro and a con for the camera.

The button layout for the Tough TG-810 although is fine, but still we didn’t like the buttons of the camera as much as we’ve expected. The button layout is rather typical with power and shutter buttons positioned on top and some other menu buttons and zoom rocker positioned on the rear end of the camera. Though, the buttons of the camera are rather small and could be tough to press, even with ungloved hands.

The battery, mini-USB connector and battery for the Olympus Tough TG-810 are concealed behind a door and the door has a double lock which makes sure that no battery and dust gets entry there.

Performance:

The images taken from the Olympus Tough TG-810 are typical of a compact digital camera. And hence when you look at the images on a full-screen it becomes rather apparent. The videos shot from the Tough TG-810 have 720p resolution and are being saved as MP4 files, and we would say that they have rather impressive video quality as well.

Conclusion:

The Olympus Tough TG-810 is an incredibly tough and versatile compact digital camera. The camera has a wide range of features which certainly will keep the photography fanatics happy. The Tough TG-810 also has a wide range of features to please the travelers in all sorts of weather. The videos and images shot from the camera are rather “OK”.

The all new Olympus TG-310 is a superb compact camera for the folks who love carrying their camera on their holidays.

The Olympus TG-310 is capable of capturing still images at 4 MP of native resolutions, but the actual highlight for this compact camera from Olympus is the fact that the camera is water proof up to 3 meters and as per Olympus the Olympus TG-310 could survive a drop from the height of five feet.

The camera makes all that very clear right from the time you hold it in your hand, because it’s immensely strong, and the lens of the camera doesn’t sticks out from the frontage of the camera. Even when you are zooming in, the 3.6x zoom lens actually moves only within the camera.

Just as most of the other cameras, the Olympus TG-310 also has certain sockets, and also a slot for memory card, which will be used for storing the pictures. But in order to make the camera waterproof all that have been hidden behind a hatch on the edge of the camera. While using the camera you will have to make sure that those hatch doesn’t opens up accidently.

Behind the panel of the Olympus TG-310, there is a socket, which is used for charging the camera and for connecting the camera to a computer or even a TV. The camera is shipped with adapters and cables, but considering the fact that the socket here are not the standard ones you will have to take care of the cables, because in case you lose them, you will have to buy the new  ones from Olympus.

The panel of the Olympus TG-310 also provides access to the rechargeable and removable battery, and the SD memory card. The TG-310 supports the SDXC and SDHC standard memory card for the bigger memory cards.

Now, this is a great thing because the TG-310 has the capacity of storing Hi-Def video, and even comes with a special button for doing so. At times it’s a bit frustrating to go through all the menus or for adjusting dials to get to video, and hence it’s perfect for quick image capturing.

Operating the Olympus TG-310 is pretty easy and fast to operate and will cost you around £155, to get hold of this waterproof rugged camera. Seeing each and every aspect of the camera we will say that it’s a perfect camera for anyone going on a Holiday.

The Olympus PEN E-P3 is the successor in the PEN series of Olympus. When the first PEN entered the market, it was considered as a bit of a show colt. The camera was the 1st Micro Four Thirds system cameras, and flaunted the stunning palpable throwback styling of 1960s unique film-firing PEN, but that cameras didn’t had flash, and was a slow focusing camera with an striking design engineering.

Its been two PENs now in the market, but the physical appearance of even the latest one is the same that we saw on the first, but the good thing with the PEN 3 is that Olympus promises of this one to be powered under the hood. The Olympus PEN E-P3 comes with double True Pic VI image processors delivering faster, zippier Autofocus, improved LCD, modernized user interface and a whole lot of other goodies.

Right from the time when you first hold the camera in your hand, it becomes clear that Olympus has significantly enhanced the camera and the Olympus PEN E-P3 now comes with a lot more guts. The most apparent and the instant improvement that we saw in the camera was its enormously fast auto-focus and in addition to that the camera was also fitted with an AF illuminator light. Going through the Olympus mouthpiece we found out that the Olympus PEN E-P3 is world’s quickest single-AF focusing camera, and after spending some time with the camera we can say that it actually is world’s fastest camera.

The second upgrade here in the Olympus PEN E-P3 is its screen, and we were more than happy to see that the display screen here was bigger than PEN 2, but it got even better when we found out that it’s immensely sharp 3 in OLED touchscreen. The touchscreen capability of the camera is really impressive and we found out this when we accidentally tapped the screen and the camera immediately focused and shot.

One another enhancement in the Olympus PEN E-P3 is its software, and while the previous cameras were saddled with a deep and circuitous menu system, this camera came with a streamlined and considerate menu system.

The last and the most obvious enhancement in the camera was its pop-up flash. Initially when you look at the camera you don’t notice it, as its positioned right at the top of the line of the body, so at any given point of time it will not be disturbing the aesthetics of the camera.

Overall we were happy to see the enhancements in the camera and will finally say, that the Olympus PEN E-P3 with its lightening auto focus having bettered focus points from 11 to 35, integrated flash, an out-and-out video button, 12mm f2 prime lens, complete HD 1080i video @ 60fps in AVCHD and shadow tone-modification feature is an improved and considerable camera for modern customers.

The only problems that we had with the Olympus PEN E-P3 were its weight and with complete metal body, we would say that the camera is not something that you frequently will carry with you. At the same time we would say that so many features of the camera make it confusing to use.

The Olympus E-PL2 is the latest offering from Olympus and for this the company has made some noteworthy feature and design enhancements, in addition to some apparent performance tweaks to their its PEN E-PL1 Micro 4 Thirds camera. The outcome is an evidently improved camera, which delivers a lot better shooting experience than its precursor and delivers superb photo quality. The most apparent functional difference to this interchangeable-lens camera (ILC) focused on consumers includes a bigger and better LCD, numerous variations for some of the Art Filters, offers compatibility for the brand new accessory connector, and revamp of the buttons. The camera also supports an additional stop of sensitivity, up to ISO 6400.

Design:

The overall shape and body design of the Olympus E-PL2 is pretty much the same as the E-PL1, but the all black body of E-PL2 definitely is a tad better than the conventional black with silver body of its precursor. The camera still is nicely built and sturdy, and we think should be able to survive some minor accidental falls. But there’s an oddity here, and although the camera is equipped with the 14 – 42mm msc kit lens, the overall body of the camera wobbles and overbalances a bit. Although, its not a problem but is a tad disconcerting when you put the camera down.

Features:

The fundamental design for the camera remains pretty much the same. The top dial of E-PL2 houses emblematic semi-manual, manual and preset automatic modes in addition to Art Filters and a devoted movie mode. The Olympus’ Live Guide, that appears in the automatic mode of the camera offers shooting tips and a user-friendly adjustment interface; it now even works with video. We really appreciate the fact that you don’t have to be in movie mode for recording. The company now has prolonged their Art Filters for accommodating more variations on each of the filter. There also is a new Art Frame, which you can add in-camera in addition to overlay two filters.

As far as shooting is concerned the Olympus E-PL2 is pretty much unchanged, the large buttons and the 4-way-navigation keys to a dial to navigate and smaller buttons. The dial looks a lot nicer and we appreciate it, but the buttons definitely can be a tad smaller for some users. The movie record button for the camera is also recessed a tad more for preventing accidental operation.

Performance:

On a whole the Olympus E-PL2 delivers respectable photo quality. It looks like Olympus has enhanced the noise reduction parameters for the camera, and although you will be loosing a little bit of sharpness, but the overall results are pretty natural. Mentioned that you not have small details in the images, the photos taken at ISO 3200 can be rather usable. The color rendition remains superb.

Even the video quality delivered by the camera is pretty satisfactory, but surely is not great. The camera has a respectable set of manual controls for shooting movies. So overall the performance of the camera is pretty acceptable. As a matter of fact, the biggest surprise here for the camera is the performance enhancement for the camera.

Conclusion:

The Olympus E-PL2 is a superb interchangeable-lens camera if you’re looking for a superior feature set than your current point-and-shoot camera or a better photo quality, the E-PL2 will satisfy you up to some extent.

The Olympus E 520 is a high-end entry level camera, and is a refurbished variant of the Olympus E-510. As such the camera is a somewhat bulged-up E-420 having image stabilization that makes the camera one of the most customizable and feature-packed camera available under $800. Though, the Olympus E 520 gets rid of some of its sibling’s compact chic, but offers a better and longer-lasting battery and flaunts a easy and familiar to grip shape for those who are familiar with the contemporary DSLRs.

The Four-Third sensor (2.43cm2) of Olympus E 520 delivers the Live view system, which now a days has become rather common ever since Olympus can pioneered the idea some days back and a 10 million pixel output. Its should be noted that the E 520 comes from the camera making company which has a rich heritage of manufacturing products intended for photographers, and comes with useful features such as shadow and highlight spot metering modes in addition to plethora of point-and-shoot modes intended towards beginners.

The features that differentiate Olympus E 520 from its precursor E510 are listed below:

• Bigger, 2.7″ LCD display (against 2.5″ on the Olympus E-510)
• Contrast find auto focus (on select lenses)
• Live view mode has face detection
• Auto Gradation (Dynamic Range enhancement)
• Quicker uninterrupted shooting speeds (3.5 vs. 3.0 fps)
• Wireless flash check (Up to 3 groups)
• Extra Image Stabilization mode for trashing

Performance:

When the precursor of Olympus E 520 entered the market this time last year, we were thoroughly impressed with the performance and value that the camera offered. Plethora of settings, flexibility and immense quickness made E-510 perform like a more expensive camera, and the same is what we can say for the E 520 after seeing at the performance of the camera. On a whole we think that the Olympus E 520 will be a nice bridge between the point-and-shoot movers and advanced shooters that wants to move up to Olympus.

The Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 is immensely rugged for a compact camera; has respectable feature set; complete, en suite user manual and 1.6GB of internal memory for video and photos.

Thumbs Down:

The Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 delivers exasperatingly sluggish performance; delivers soft photos and is expensive.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Manufacturer: Olympus

Part Number: 227655

Price: $299.95 – $440.07

Product Type: Compact Digital camera

Weight: 7.6 oz

Dimensions (W x D x H) in inches: 3.9 in x 0.9 in x 2.5 in

Optical Sensor Type: CCD

White balance: Presets and Automatic

White Balance Presets: Overcast, Daylight, Fluorescent light (daylight), Tungsten light, Fluorescent light (warm white) and Fluorescent light (cool white)

Software: [IB] software and Drivers & Utilities

Cables Included: USB cable and A/V cable

Connector Type: 1 x Composite audio/Video output, 1 x USB, 1 x HDMI output

Additional Features: Freezeproof , Crushproof , DPOF support , Tap control , Face detection , Direct print , Water resistant , Audio recording , Cropping an image , Shock resistant , Resizing an image , Histogram display , Exif Print support , Built-in manometer , PRINT Image Matching , PictBridge support , In-camera red-eye fix , Saturation control , 720p HD movie recording , USB 2.0 compatibility , Digital noise reduction , Digital image rotation , RGB primary color filter , Dual image stabilization , Shadow Adjustment Technology and Scene Detection Technology

Operating System Support: Microsoft Windows 7 , Microsoft Windows Vista , Microsoft Windows XP , Microsoft Windows 2000 , Apple Mac OS X 10.3 – 10.5

Peripheral Devices: USB port

Shooting Programs: Candle , Portrait mode , Pet , Self-portrait , Indoor , Snow , Night portrait , Sunset , Cuisine , Beauty , Beach/snow , Documents , Night scene , Fireworks , Landscape , Sports mode , Underwater macro , Panorama assist , Underwater wide 2 , Underwater wide 1 and Underwater snapshot

Focus Adjustment:  Automatic

Flash Modes: Fill-in mode, Auto mode, Red-eye reduction and Flash OFF mode

Included Accessories: Wrist strap

Camera Flash: Built-in flash

Special Effects: Drawing, Sepia, Pop Art, Fisheye, Black & White and Pin Hole

Supported Battery: 1 x Olympus Li-50B Li-ion rechargeable battery (Included)

Battery Type: Olympus Li-50B

Razzle Dazzle:

The Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 is available in silver, black or blue models and is a really good looking pocket camera. But the camera surely is not lightweight carry it in your pocket and you’ll always know that its there. The completely metal body of the camera is shiny and could get scratched easily. It could be problematic in some other camera, but as far our Tough 8010 is concerned, it appears the part of immensely durable camera. Though, always beware of the sand and dirt, as it might get trapped in between the lens cover and could scratch the lens. The camera lens is protected by a metal cover when it’s off, but as you turn it on the door automatically drops down. the lens here is hard to wipe clean and is a set back into the body, also if you are not taking care of the sand and dirt from the lens before shutting it on and off, the protector could get stuck. The manual explains is clearly explains how to avoid it.

Inside Dope:

The Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 is a winner when it comes to durability, and is one of the most tough pocket cameras you can get in market. The shock absorbing system and metal body of the camera could survive a drop up to 6.6 feet and up to a weight if 220 pounds the camera even is crushproof. On top of that the camera is freezeproof up to 14 degrees Fahrenheit and waterproof up to 33 feet. The camera also comes with a rock solid set of shooting options which makes snapshots easy despite the conditions the camera is being used. A rarity here is a 2GB internal memory.

But don’t get excited with the rugged wrapping and durability of the camera, inside all this solid wrappings there is a rather average point-and-shoot camera, which is painfully slow as well. The photos captured here appeared pretty decent, provided that you don’t want razor-sharp poster-sized prints. One thing that could be hard to swallow for many of the users is that the comparatively higher price tag of the camera goes all to the austerity of the camera — not the photo quality, nor the performance.

The Tough 8010 also features Olympus’ Tap Control. Operating the compact touch screen cameras in touch environmental conditions, where you touch is compromised wont do a lot of good especially when you are wearing gloves or are underwater or when you’re snowboarding or skiing. Considering all this Olympus has come up with a solution by making it easier to access the camera features like shooting modes and playback by giving four tap buttons on the top, front, back and sides of the camera.

The controls on the control panel of the camera are sufficiently spaced, so pressing the correct button surely wont be a problem, even when you are wearing gloves. A somewhat recessed power button resides on the top floor of the camera along with a little raised shutter release. At the rear end from top to bottom are the buttons for operating the zoom; a Play button; a one-touch record button to capture movies at resolutions up to 720p HD; Menu and Help buttons and a directional pad and OK button. Pressing the Help button brings a completely searchable user manual, which is stored on the 2GB internal memory of the camera (1.6GB of total memory is available for video and photo storage). The major problem here is that the labels on the buttons are hard to read.

Though the controls on the camera are pretty decent, but the interface is a bit slow up to the extent that making some very basic changes like shutting off the flash or even changing the shooting modes could be frustrating. It normally takes a second for the interface to catch up to button presses.

The battery, Mini-HDMI port, proprietary USB/AV terminal and card slots are all placed behind a thick door on right hand side of the body with two locks. The camera battery could be charged within the camera using the included USB cable and it can be done using a computer or with the help of the included wall adapter. The battery life for the camera is shorter than the average battery life for shooting stills and is CIPA-rated 200 photos; shooting both videos and photos cuts it down even more. The photo quality delivered is good, but not exceptionally good. Especially if you are thinking about making poster size images then this camera is not for you.

Nitty Gritty:

The Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 is a rock solid camera from outside, but is pretty middling on the inside.

Able to shoot RAW+JPEG in every mode including iAutio and Art Filters; better picture quality; excellent built.

Thumbs Down:

Slow shooting performance; sluggish auto-focus; low-resolution display; short battery life.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

The Olympus E-PL1 is powered with TruePic V image processor and 12.3-megapixel High Speed Live MOS. It features micro-SD card slot, Supersonic Wave Filter (SWF), Sensor Dust Reduction, 2 Field of View Crop Factor, Frame movie shooting mode, Optical image stabilization, face detection, white balance bracketing, and 324 exposure metering zones. The maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 second and minimum is 60 second. The X-sync speed options are 1/2000 second and 1/180 second.

The 2.7 inches LCD display has format of 230,000 pixels. The E-PL1 has inbuilt mono microphone and pop-up flash. The flash features hot-shoe flash terminal, wireless-off camera control, flash +/- compensation, and 7 guide numbers. The flash modes are Red-eye reduction, Rear curtain sync, Flash OFF mode, Slow synchro, Fill-in mode, and Auto-mode.

The Micro Four Thirds lens is aspherical in nature. It has 14-42mm focal length and F/3.5-5.6 aperture that features 3x optical zoom. The camera has TTL contrast detection auto focus and 225 auto-focus points. The minimum focus range is 9.8 inches and maximum viewing angle is 75°.

The E-PL1 has EV 0-18 (ISO 100) exposure range; exposure compensation of ±3 EV range, in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps, and auto-exposure bracketing of 3 steps in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1 EV steps. It has three types of white balance: Automatic, Presets, and Custom. The white-balance presets are Fluorescent light (Warm white), Fluorescent light (cool white), Fluorescent light (daylight), Tungsten light, 2000K-14000K, Overcast, Daylight, Shade, and Flash.

The light sensitivity levels are ISO Auto (200-1600), and ISO 100-3200. The shooting programs are Night Scene with portrait, Panorama assist, Portrait mode, Nature macro, Sports mode, Night scene, E-portrait, Beach/snow, Anti-shake, Landscape, Fireworks, Documents, High key, Children, Low key, Sunset, and Macro.

The special effects include Black & White Magenta, Black & White Yellow filter, Black & White Orange filter, Black & White Green filter, Black & White Blue filter, Black & White Red filter, Gentle Sepia, Grainy Film, Soft Focus, I-Enhance, Portrait, Pin Hole, Monotone, Pop Art, Natural, Diorama, Vivid, Sepia, and Muted.

The Olympus E-PL1 has self-timer delay function of 2 and 12 seconds. The additional highlights are Digital image stabilization (video mode), Shadow Adjustment technology, Camera orientation detection, Scene Detection Technology, Display brightness control, RGB primary color filter, Highlight point display, Digital noise reduction, 720p HD movie recording, Digital image rotation, USB 2.0 compatibility, In-camera red-eye fix, Shadow point display, PRINT image matching, Full-time Live view, Built-in help guide, Saturation control, PictBridge support, Sharpness control, Resizing an image, Histogram display, Cropping an image, Contrast control, Inbuilt speaker, Audio recording, Direct print, DPOF support, and AF/AE lock.

The connector set includes 1×HDMI output, 1×Composite Video output, and 1×USB. The supported operating systems are Windows XP SP2/Vista/7 or later. The E-PL1 has 1150mAH lithium ion battery that has a life of 290 shots. The maximum operating temperature is 104°F and minimum is 32°F. Accessories supplied inside the box are USB cable, Video cable, shoulder strap, lens cap, dust cap, body cap, battery, drivers & software disc, and user manual.

Razzle Dazzle:

The Olympus E-PL1 is 4.5 inches wide, 2.8 inches tall, and 1.6 inches deep and weighs 12.4 ounces without EVF. Where the Olympus E-P models has traditional film design, the E-PL1 has a design inspired from Panasonic Lumix LX and Canon PowerShot G series. Its aluminum and plastic body does not give the tanklike feeling of E-P modes. On the contrary, it feels sturdy and provides comfortable grip while holding in hands.

Inside Dope:

The interchangeable lens cameras appealed most of the enthusiasts. However, their expensive price tag of more than $800 is making them not affordable for budget conscious users. They are capable to record videos and their big sensors are providing better picture quality even at high ISO levels than that of small digital cameras. In contrast, their alternatives – larger digital SLRs with optical viewfinders and kit prices are starting from $600. Previously, Olympus has tried to capture the market with E-P1 and E-P2 interchangeable lens cameras, but they does not have inbuilt flash even at high price. Now, the company has launched the Olympus E-PL1 with its Micro Four Thirds lens and 12.3-megapixel Live MOS. It costs $549 for body only, while its 14-42mm lens kit costs $599.99. The Olympus 14-42mm Micro Third lens costs $299, while both Nikon and Canon dSLR 18-55mm lenses are priced $199. However, the Micro Four Third lenses are more compact than the other dSLR lenses.

The Olympus E-PL1 has dedicated video recording button and movie mode on the dial. Its operation and control layout is quite similar to the Olympus advanced cameras. You will find the menu, info, delete, and playback buttons on the right side of LCD display. Above them, there is a customizable function button that can be assigned to invoke any function including waterproof protector attachment toggle, movie record button, toggle the LCD backlight, pull up MyMode settings, capture unsaved test picture, override raw settings, use manual focus, reset AF area to its home location, manual white balance, provide depth-of-field preview, and face detection mode. You can also disable this function button. You will find a four-way toggle with middle OK button that provides access to exposure compensation, flash, drive mode, and auto-focus area selection. It also allows adjusting shutter and aperture from its arrow buttons.

The Info button allows cycling through some display choices: selectable thumbnail previews of white-balance and exposure compensation, image only, grid/scale display, basic settings with a histogram, and detailed current settings. The Super Control Panel shows both frequently required and rarely used shooting options including Picture Tone, black-and-white filter, gradation, saturation, contrast, sharpness, compensation, and white-balance. You will also get simplified version of settings while cycling around display’s outer edge that allows quickly adjusting AF target (customizable, auto using 11 AF areas), face detection, auto-focus, metering, ISO sensitivity levels, flash options, image quality an size, aspect ratio, image stabilization mode, drive mode, white-balance, aperture and shutter speed.

The main target of the Olympus is to provide a better digital SLR camera to attract those who only need a basic point-and-shot camera. The company has also included a iAuto mode that includes sliders for adjusting these settings with live view: image warmth, saturation, express motions/shutter speed, brightness (exposure compensation), and background blur (aperture). You will also get some Shooting Tips in the Olympus E-PL1.

We like this interface as all the settings only requires up/down arrow to adjust and press OK for applying. The Olympus E-PL1 not only provides entry-level features, but it also offers preset auto feature set, full manual and semi-manual. The additional highlights are default and upper bound options for Auto ISO, ability to capture RAW+JPEG in any mode, and separate horizontal and vertical pan optimized image stabilization settings. The HDR mode is limited to three-frame bracket.

The E-PL1 has Art Filters like most of the Olympus cameras. The Gentle Sepia is for tweaking sepia, while the Diorama simulates the blur and miniaturize effects of shift/tilt lens.

The time from power-on to first shot is 1.8 seconds. The average shot-to-shot time is 2 seconds and 2.7sec with flash. The shutter lag is 0.9 second in bright lighting and 1.4 seconds in low light. The continuous shooting speed is 3.3 frames per second.

In contrast, the shutter lag for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is 0.5 second in bright light and 0.6 second in dim light. Whereas, it is 0.4 second in bright light and 0.7 second in dim light for Canon PowerShot G11. What’s more – the shot-to-shot time is 0.7 second and 0.9 second with flash for the DMC-GF1. It is 2.5 seconds with and without flash for the PowerShot G11.

As a result, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 performs faster than the Olympus E-PL1. It may be due to Micro Four Third lenses as they work slow and focus excessively.

The overall picture quality of the Olympus E-PL1 surpasses most digital SLRs in its price range, but does not match the Pentax K-x – noise leader. The pictures are the best up to ISO 800, while they start to soften with less noise at ISO 1600. The ISO 3200 will be an emergency option where do you not want to consider the quality. Olympus had tweaked the noise reduction for providing clean images. The noise profile of the E-PL1 is better than that of E-P2. The default noise reduction for JPEG is good and tends to be sharper than default settings for row.

The Olympus E-PL1 delivers excellent color accuracy with good dynamic range, but the colors look a bit saturated with a bit hue shift. The sharpness appears normal in default Natural picture mode. The camera shows crispy details rather than oversharpened them. The manual shooting capabilities and video quality is good in its class. You can manually set the aperture, but not the shutter speed. The display has small size and low resolution.

The battery life of the Olympus E-PL1 is 290 shots.

Olympus positions its E-PL1 as good alternative for the digital SLR cameras for the persons who want a step-up from entry level point-and-shot cameras. It provides much better quality than normal cameras, but is relatively slow.

Nitty Gritty:

If you need a compact camera with interchangeable lenses and better quality and can overcome a bit slow performance, then we will recommend buying – Olympus E-PL1. However, you can also check the Panasonic Lumix GMC-G10 and Samsung NX10.

Excellent photo and build quality; striking design.

Thumbs Down:

Does not have onboard flash; low resolution display; low battery life; sluggish auto-focus.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Olympus E-P2 is a 12.3-megapixel digital camera powered with TruePic V image sensor. It has 13,100,000 pixels High Speed Live MOS optical sensor that features Supersonic Wave Filter (SWF), Sensor Dust Reduction and two-field view crop factor. The effective sensor resolution is 12,300,000 pixels. The camera has SD memory card slot for external storage.

3 inches LCD display has a resolution of 230,000 pixels resolution. Olympus E-P2 features external electronic viewfinder, inbuilt stereo microphone and hot-shoe clip-on flash. The flash modes are Flash OFF mode, Manual, Fill-in mode, Slow sync Red-eye reduction mode, Auto red-eye reduction, and Auto Mode.

Aspherical lens has Micro Four Thirds mounting system and 17mm focal length with F/2.8 aperture. Maximum viewing angle is 65-degree, minimum focus range is 7.9 inches and filter size is 37mm. Olympus E-P2 has TTL contrast detection auto-focus, automatic focus adjustment and 225 auto focus zones.

The E-P2 features Optical (Image sensor shift) image stabilizer, frame movie mode, 1/180sec X-sync speed, face detection and white balance bracketing. Light sensitivity levels are ISO Auto (200-6400), and ISO 100-6400. Maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 second and minimum is 60sec.

Shooting programs of Olympus E-P2 include Night scene with portrait, Panorama assist, Portrait mode, Nature macro, Sports mode, Anti shake, Landscape, Documents, High key, Children, Low key, and Macro. The special effects are Black & White Yellow filter, Black & White Orange filter, Black & White Green filter, Black & White Red filter, Pale & Light Colour, Cross Process, Grainy Film, Soft Focus, Light Tone, Pin Hole, Monotone, Pop Art, Diorama, and Sepia.

Exposure compensation is ±3 EV range, in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps and auto exposure bracketing is ±3 EV range, in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps. Olympus E-P2 has exposure range of EV 0-18 (ISO 100) and 324 exposure metering zones. Exposure modes are Automatic, Aperture-priority, Bulb, Shutter-priority, Program, and Manual. Exposure metering is of three types: Center-weighted, Spot, and Multi-segment.

Olympus E-P2 has three types of white-balance: Automatic, Custom and Presets. The white-balance presets are Fluorescent light (warm white), Fluorescent light (cool white), Fluorescent light (daylight), Tungsten light, 2000K-14000K, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, and Flash.

Supported digital video formats are AVI and JPEG. Olympus E-P2 supports image formats of RAW, RAW+JPEG, and JPEG. The video capture resolution options are AVI 640×480 and AVI 1280×720. Image storage resolution options are JPEG 640×480, JPEG 1280×960, JPEG 1600×1200, JPEG 3200×2400, JPEG 1024×768, Super-fine JPEG 2560×1920, Fine JPEG 4032×3024, Basic RAW 4032×3024, and Normal.

Olympus E-P2 has self timer delay function of 2 and 10 seconds. Additional feature set includes Digital Image stabilization (video mode), Shadow Adjustment Technology, Camera orientation detection, Display brightness control, RGB primary color filter, Highlight point display, 720p HD movie recording, Digital image rotation, USB 2.0 compatibility, In-camera red-eye fix, Shadow point display, PRINT Image Matching, Full-time Live view, Saturation control, PictBridge support, Sharpness control, Resizing an image, Histogram display, Cropping an image, Contrast control, Audio recording, Face detection, DPOF support, AF and AE lock.

The connector set includes 1×HDMI output, 1×composite audio/video output, and 1×USB. The accessories inside the package are USB cable, one A/V cable, shoulder strap, lens cap, dust cap, and body cap. The E-P2 has Olympus BLS-1 lithium ion rechargeable battery. Maximum operating temperature is 104°F and minimum is 32°F.

Razzle Dazzle:

Olympus E-P2 is 2.8 inches tall, 1.4 inches deep and 4.8 inches deep and weighs 11.8 ounces. The E-P2 looks like its predecessor – E-P1. Its body is made up of metal and has black enclosure color.

Inside Dope:

Olympus E-P2 Micro Four Thirds digital camera is a more expensive sibling of previous E-P1. At first look, the E-P2 looks tremendously similar to its predecessor the EP1 due to same elegant body and natural quality. One of the most noticeable additions is accessory port that increases the height of its body. Olympus is currently offering two accessories for this port: included adapter for external mic and tilt-able electronic viewfinder that can easily slide inside the hot shoe. We like this included accessory because one has to purchase it separately for Panasonic GF-1. The EVF is bright, contrast and well magnified and has enough high-resolution for manual focus. The E-P2 also has revamped manual focus system, in which the focus magnification is linked with focus points. What’s more – tilt ability of the EVF helps a lot to get better shooting results.

Olympus E-P2 comes in two versions: $1099.99 with 14-42mm lens and $1099.99 for 17mm lens. On the contrary, the E-P1 costs $599.95 for body only version, $799.99 for 14-42mm lens and $899 for 17mm lens. Our test model of E-P2 had 17mm lens. Previous E-P1 and E-PL1 were offering 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor, whereas the E-P2 offers same sensor with less resolution – 12.1-megapixel. Moreover, the E-P2 offers add-on EVF and external flash (hot shoe), whereas E-P1 was not offering any EVF but had inbuilt flash. Moreover, the E-P2 weighs 13.8 ounces and 14.9 ounces with EVF.

You will get more control in Movie mode of Olympus E-2 that allows adjusting of shutter speed and aperture. There is also a revamped i-Enhance auto mode that works more intelligently and better by isolating the operated onscreen elements. In addition, Olympus has also added various latest art filters. One is Cross Process mode to simulate contrast and colors shifts to provide a look to the pictures as they are produced due to usage of wrong chemicals while film processing. Another is Diorama mode that simulates tilt-shift lens effect for giving Lilliputs look to big cities. These Art Filter also works in Movie mode. Last but not least, the Olympus E-2 also has CEC (Consume Electric Option) for TV control through HDMI.

Olympus E-P2 digital camera also has optional adapters for (MF-2) OM lens and (MMF-1) Four Thirds mount lens. The E-P2 looks retroactive from the front and has typical digital control layout at the back. There are menu, delete, playback, AE and AF buttons at the right side of LCD display. You will find a user-defined customized function button on right of above controls. You can set this button to toggle LCD backlight, show MyMode customized settings, capture unsaved test image, override raw options, use manual focus, reset AF area to home position, set white balance manually, give depth-of-field preview, raise face detection mode, or to disable the button completely. You might face difficulty to set this function button first time, but it will work fine after that.

The back dial has direct-access clickers for drive mode, focus mode, white balance, and ISO sensitivity. In addition, the camera also has separate vertical dial. Both of the dials are comfortable to use and quick responsive. Mode dial on the top gives options for eight Art Filters, various scene modes, movie capture, Intelligent Auto, semi-manual and standard manual PASM modes.

The shutter release and exposure buttons are also located on the top. Olympus E-P2 also works similarly to E-P1. There is an Info button that cycle from various display options: image only, grid/scale display, selectable previews of white balance or exposure compensation, basic settings with AF area or histogram, detailed present settings, or two axis digital level.

Moreover, you can also bring up Super Control Panel – overstuffed display to adjust both frequently and less used shooting options including Picture tone, black&white filter, gradation, saturation, contrast, sharpness, and white-balance. Olympus has also included a simplified version where you can move around display’s outer edge for adjusting AF target (user defined or Auto using 11AF areas), face detection, auto-focus, metering, ISO sensitivity, flash options, image quality and size, aspect ration, image stabilization mode, drive mode, white-balance, and shutter speed. You have to read the included user manual to know all of the operations and features of the E-P2 camera.

We recommend you to use 14-42mm kit lens for such a compact digital camera. This lens kit can focus much more close and will work more perfect for macro distances than traditional ones. It will deliver similar shooting experience as with 18-55mm lens from Nikon and Canon, but the manual focus of the Olympus’ Kit is better than others. Olympus is using servo-electronic ring on the camera, unlike its Panasonic counterparts. This ring is relatively loose and provides infinite rotation experience. However, we are disappointed that you may need to practice few minutes for its accurate usage and this kit will increase the size of the camera. If you need much more compact device, then you have to go for 17mm lens that also features wide maximum aperture.

Time from boot up to take first shot is 1.6sec. The shutter lag is 1.1sec in dim light and 0.9sec in bright lighting. Raw shot-to-shot time is 2sec and typical is 1.9sec. The continuous shooting speed is 3.1fps.

On the contrary, similarly featured – Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 tops the shooting performance by 0.8sec for time-to-first-shot. Its raw and typical shot-to-shot time is 0.9sec. The shutter lag is 0.6sec in dim light and 0.4sec in bright light.

During test, it was quite frustrating that the Olympus E-P2 was grabbing and loosing focus rapidly on using continuous AF. We will recommend you to stick with the single AF and still objects. The 9-18mm lenses on E-PL1 are better to use and can hold better AF than Micro Four Thirds lenses. Despite of having low resolution, the LCD display is enough for using manual focus with magnification. However, it is not so useful to judge the quality of captured photo.

Both E-P1 and Olympus E-P2 uses same image processor and sensor, but the E-P2 delivers better image quality due to its fine noise suppression. It delivers good still photographs up to ISO 400 and just a bit degraded images at ISO 800. The E-P2 exhibits a bit noisier photos than that of E-P1. The images look soft above ISO 800 and color noise is more visible at ISO 1600. On the contrary, the E-P2 maintains perfect exposure, color characteristics, and fine dynamic range. The overall sharpness is also looking good on full size (13×17 inches) prints and on full screen. The recorded video quality is also good.

The battery life of Olympus E-P2 is 300 shots, which is similar to previous E-P1. We hope that this battery life is very short for continuous usage.

Nitty Gritty:

If you need a compact digital camera with good photo quality and do not mind the slow performance, then you can buy new – Olympus E-P2 camera. However, we will recommend you to check Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 before making any final decision.

Thumbs Up:

Rugged body, good feature set, wide angle lens, has tap interface.

Thumbs Down:

Photo quality is not great, performance is slow.

Inside the Trunk:

Utilities and drivers, Olympus Master. Accessories include microSD to XD adapter, handstrap. Included cables are A/V cable and USB cord.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 is a 12 mega pixels camera, light sensitivity options include ISO auto, ISO 1600, ISO 800, ISO 400, ISO 200, ISO 100, ISO 50, has 5x digital zoom, shooting programs include night scene with portrait, under water snapshot, Underwater wide 1&2, Under water macro, self-portrait, portrait mode, sports mode, night scene, beach/snow, landscape, fireworks, documents, cuisine, sunset, indoor, candle, beauty, snow. There are just two special effects of black & white and sepia. Maximum shutter speed is 1/2000 second, minimum shutter speed is 4 seconds.

White balance presets include Fluorescent light (warm white), Fluorescent light (cool white), Fluorescent light (daylight), Tungsten light, Sunlight, Overcast. Videos are stored in MJPEG and AVI format, images are stored in JPEG format. Video capture resolution options are AVI – 320 x 240, AVI – 640 x 480. Image storage resolution options are JPEG 640 x 480, JPEG 1280 x 960, JPEG 1600 x 1200, JPEG 1920 x 1080, JPEG 2048 x 1536, JPEG 2560 x 1920, JPEG 3968 x 2976.

Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 has zoom lens – 5 mm – 18.2 mm – F/3.5-5.1, lens aperture  is F/3.5-5.1, minimum focus range is 19.7 inches, macro focus range is 2 cm, focal length is 5 mm – 18.2 mm, macro focus range is 2 cm, minimum focus range is 19.7 inches, lens aperture if F/3.5/5.1, optical zoom is 3.6x,

Additional features include Automatic Pixel Mapping (APM), Shadow Adjustment Technology, Digital image stabilization, Display brightness control, RGB primary color filter, Dual image stabilization, Built-in LED illuminator, Digital noise reduction, Digital image rotation, USB 2.0 compatibility, In-camera red-eye fix, YouTube capture mode, PRINT Image Matching, Saturation control, PictBridge support, Built-in manometer, Resizing an image, Histogram display, Cropping an image, Built-in speaker, Water resistant, Shock resistant, Audio recording, Face detection, Direct print, DPOF support, Tap control, Freezeproof, Crushproof.

The Tough 8000 has a 2.7 inch TFT LCD color display. Connectors on the camera include composite video/audio output and a USB port.

Razzle Dazzle:

This is not your normal delicate camera, it has protection all around it because has a shock proof and water proof body. You get three choices for colors, black blue and silver. The body, though rugged is prone to a lot of scratches. You may not like it if you prefer you gadgets as good as new all the time.

Inside Dope:

We thought the Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 was the most durable camera we have ever come across in our test centers. It has a strong metal body which can survive falls from up to 6.6 feet and is crushproof up to 220 pounds of weight. This is not all, the camera is water proof, can survive in up to 33 feet of water and is freeze proof up to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. All this is really impressive; you can use this camera for shooting and also give it to your baby to play around with. But as with most shockproof, waterproof cameras, the performance is not as good as what other cameras have to offer. This is for people who want a rugged camera and are willing to compromise on quality.

The menus of the camera are easy to understand and if you are a veteran camera user, it won’t take you long to master the device. The buttons are easy to press even with the thick gloves put on.

The screen has a touch screen interface but if you are somewhere in cold environments, you will probably be wearing gloves which make it difficult to use the touch screen. Olympus gives you a tap control which lets you use basic control just by tapping the device on the sides, back or top.

The Tough 8000 also has a dual image stabilization, which is standard for a camera of this class, but still is a nice feature to have. There is a LED between the lens and the flash, you can use it to light up your subject or as a flash light.

The camera although constructed well, has a design flaw. The lens is a bit recessed in to the body and you will have to wipe it thoroughly for sand particles and water before you shut down the device because if you don’t, the protector will get stuck.

The Tough 8000 doesn’t have all the shooting options that you find in a high end camera, but it does have the necessary ones. The Intelligent Auto mode is there for people who don’t want to be bothered by too much fuss about the settings. The camera detects the environments and automatically sets itself for best photo quality. The Program AE mode gives you choices for exposure compensation, ISO, white balance, metering and focus.

You get a preview of what the photo is going to look like on the screen of the camera. It is called live multi frame preview. You can also check out the results for various exposure compensation from the preview. If you are an advanced user, there are 19 scene modes to choose from. There are is no preshot color effects on the device, but you can change the photos to sepia or black and white and play with the saturation in the Edit mode.

The camera accepts xD cards which have a limit of 2 GB. For more space there is bundled adapter for user with microSDHC/microSD cards. The camera also has a movie mode and the highest achievable resolution is 640×480 at 30 fps. If you are using a M-type xD card you cannot record more than 10 seconds.

The camera’s performance is a bit slow but that is common in such rugged cameras. Slow performance won’t matter much to you if you are shooting slow moving or still subjects like lazy fish, flowers, portraits, landscape, etc. In bright conditions, the shutter lag is 0.7 second and 0.8 second in low light environments. It is a slower than what compact cameras are capable of delivering, but the continuous shooting speed is on par with 1.1 fps. Shot-to-shot times are extremely slow, 5 seconds with the flash on and 2.5 seconds without it. The Tough 8000 takes 1.8 seconds to wake up and start shooting.

Photo quality is good but will start degrading pretty quickly when you move away from the fastest shutter speed. The quality dips after ISO 200 which is really disappointing so stay use ISO 64 or ISO 100 for best performance photos. The camera is poor in sharpness and cannot compete with other product even at the lowest of ISOs. The details start getting fuzzy and soft after ISO 400. Do not go beyond 400 if you want to take small prints or use pictures on the web. At ISO 1600 the picture have big blue/purple blotches of color on it and which makes this device a poor choice for dim-light pictures without flash.

Nitty Gritty:

Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 is the camera you are looking for if you want a rugged device with good shooting outdoors. Be wary of its shortcomings though, it has mediocre photo quality which starts to dip from ISO 200 itself and a slow performance. If durability is important for you and are willing to compromise on quality, get this camera.

Thumbs Up:

Four group of custom settings for MyMode, has 26x optical zoom.

Thumbs Down:

The images contain softness and noise even at low ISO sensitivities.

Inside the Trunk:

Utilities, drivers and Olympus Master software. Included accessories microSD to XD adapter, Hand strap, Lens cap. Included cables are AV cable and USB cord.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Olympus SP-590 UZ is a 12 mega pixels camera, light sensitivity options include ISO auto, ISO 1600, ISO 800, ISO 400, ISO 200, ISO 100, ISO 80, has 5x digital zoom, shooting programs include Night scene with portrait, Multiple exposure, Soft background, Multi-firework, Portrait mode, Bird watching, Sports mode, Night scene, Smile shot, Beach/snow, Landscape, Fireworks, Documents, Cuisine, Sunset, Indoor, Candle, Beauty.

Exposure modes include Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, Automatic, Program, Manual, Bulb. White balance presets include Fluorescent light (warm white), Fluorescent light (cool white), Fluorescent light (daylight), Tungsten light, Sunlight, Overcast. Videos are stored in MJPEG, AVI format, images are stored in JPEG, RAW format. Video storage resolution options are AVI – 320 x 240, AVI – 640 x 480, AVI – 640 x 480, image storage resolution options are JPEG 1920 x 1080, JPEG 3968 x 2232, JPEG 640 x 480, JPEG 1280 x 960, JPEG 1600 x 1200, JPEG 2048 x 1536, JPEG 2560 x 1920, JPEG 3968 x 2976.

SP-590 has Zoom lens – 4.6 mm – 119.6 mm – F/2.8-5.0, which has focal length of 4.6 mm – 119.6 mm, has 26x optical zoom, lens aperture is F/2.8-5.0, minimum focus range is 3.9 inches, macro focus range is 1 cm. The display of the camera is 2.7 inches big with 230,000 pixels.

Additional features include Automatic Pixel Mapping (APM), Shadow Adjustment Technology, Digital image stabilization, Display brightness control, Dual image stabilization, Digital noise reduction, Interval shooting mode, Digital image rotation, USB 2.0 compatibility, In-camera red-eye fix, YouTube capture mode, PRINT Image Matching, Saturation control, PictBridge support, Sharpness control, Resizing an image, Histogram display, Cropping an image, Contrast control, Built-in speaker, Audio recording, Face detection, Direct print, DPOF support.

Connectors on the camera include HDMI output, DC power input, USB and Composite video/audio output. Supported operating systems are Apple Mac OS X 10.3 – 10.5, MS Windows Vista, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows XP. The camera runs on 4 AA sized batteries.

Razzle Dazzle:

Design of the Olympus SP-590 UZ is typical of a mega zoom camera, it has a plastic chassis and a rubberized large grip on the sides to accommodate the four AA sized batteries. The protrusion of the battery compartment also makes it easy to hold the camera while shooting. The bottom of the camera comes out beneath the lens to provide a good mount for tripod.

Inside Dope:

Olympus is a giant in the camera market and when it comes to making longs lens cameras, Olympus is the first name that comes to mind. In order to make a market competitive mega zoom camera, the length of the lens is important but other things such as good photo quality, useful feature set and fast performance must be taken care of. Unfortunately, the SP-590 UZ lacks in these features.

If you are a camera enthusiast and have used such mega zoom devices, you won’t need much time to get used to the SP-590 UZ. Apart from all the usual buttons, there is Beauty mode on mode dial which slightly blurs skin. However, you get only a 2 mega pixel image and the time between shots is approximately 20 seconds. There is MyMode which holds four groups of programmed settings including those of focal length. The OK/Func button gets you to the frequently used settings which include compression, image size, metering, ISO sensitivity, white balance and drive mode. You get high speeds for the standard continuous shooting mode but you get reduced images, for 10fps and 6fps, you get 3 and 5 mega pixels respectively. There are dedicated buttons for self timer, macro mode, flash, compensation, toggle button for Shadow Adjustment and a programmable button for features like focus mode, focus/AE lock and image stabilizer. While recording the video, you get to use the optical zoom but the best the device can do in videos is 30fps VGA mode.

The speed of the SP-590 UZ was very good except in conditions of dim light. It takes 1.6 seconds to power on and start shooting which is really fast. Focus speed is 0.6 seconds in bright light conditions, which is on par with the best in the class and in dim light conditions it is 1.4 second which is very slow. Shot-to-shot times too are very fast at 2 seconds without flash and with flash, it is 2.5 seconds. However, continuous shooting rates are really slow with 1.2 fps.

The colors look different on the screen, but it refreshes quickly even in conditions of low light. As with most LCDs, this screen couldn’t take bright sunlight, the screen appears totally blank.

The photo quality is average for a mega zoom camera, on a scale of 10 we would rate it at somewhere around 7. Even at low ISO settings, the photos lacked sharpness, had noise and also the painterly artifact that you usually see in higher ISO settings. This makes the prints look soft. Colors are accurate but not pleasing and vibrant. On the bright side, there is no fringing, the exposures and metering is good. Low resolution videos taken from the camera are good only for putting on sites like YouTube. We were disappointed that there was no zoom or audio available for this feature.

The SP-590 UZ storage options are disappointing, you get slot which can take microSD cards through the xD adapter and Olympus’s proprietary xD-Picture cards.

Nitty Gritty:

Olympus SP-590 UZ, boasts of a 26x mega zoom lens but overall, it is an average quality camera. We would ask you to give up your pursuit if you are looking to buy this. Instead go for a cheaper camera or put some more money in and get a high end model.