 Why buy anything else? 9 of 9 people found this review helpful.
I purchased this camera after several months of research into DSLRs. I looked at the Nikon D40x and the Canon EOS 400D as they are all in a similar price range. However the decision was in fact quite a simple one.
The Olympus can come with a 14-42mm and a 40-150mm lens which, when taking the 2X crop factor into account, gives a fantastic 24-300mm focal range. Combined with an in body image stabiliser, the only really effective dust reduction system available on the market and live view, this makes for a fantastic package.
Handling the E-510 is a joy with a proper grip on the body, something the smaller E-410 is sadly lacking, which means the camera feels secure and stable in your hand, even at the 300mm end of the standard kit telephoto lens.
The out of the box results from this camera are excellent and Olympus have done a fantastic job of dealing with the noise issues previously associated with the Four Thirds system.
Given the recent advances in Four Thirds LMOS sensor design noise really isn't an issue until above about ISO 800. I have found the best image quality at lower than ISO 400 comes from turning off the noise filter and reducing the sharpening at which point I can find no real difference between the Nikon, Canon or Olympus, even when pixel peeping. Above ISO 400 a small amount of noise reduction is an advantage as is the case for all DSLRs under £1500.
That said this camera returns excellent results straight out of the box. Of course, shooting in RAW format helps immensely, especially if you are used to shooting in JPEG formats as the level of detail is spectacular.
The menu system is intuitive and with the information screen turned on (if not using the live view option) it is simple to adjust all the parameters. Olympus have also spent some time thinking about the handling of the camera. All the knobs and buttons are laid out sensibly and all within easy reach when using the camera, something that cannot be said of the Nikon D40x. The camera has dedicated buttons for white balance, ISO, metering and AF mode which makes quick selection of the ideal settings quick and easy.
The 14-42mm and 40-150mm lenses are exceptional for kit lenses. The 14-42mm lens performs brilliantly in every condition I have tried it in and also produces surprisingly sharp and clear macro shots with no evidence of lens distortion. With the range of Four Thirds mount lenses growing thanks to significant input from Sigma there is now a huge range of glassware available right up to professional levels (best start saving now!).
The autofocus, while only having 3 focus points in comparison to up to 51 on some Nikons, may seem under specified but having used the E-510 back to back with an EOS 400D and a Nikon D40x there is little real world difference and the same things confuse the autofocus systems on all 3 cameras. If anything, I found trying to select appropriate focus points something of a challenge on the Nikon.
All in all, this camera offers a huge feature list including the surprisingly effect sensor shift based image stabiliser, excellent controls via the info screen, a fast responsive shutter, autofocus while in live view mode (a genuine rarity), selectable colour spaces, an in camera RAW development facility and online firmware upgrades. Add to this the excellent kit lenses (the 14-42mm lens leaves the Canon 18-55mm kit lens in its wake) and a brilliant price, it leaves you wondering why you would buy anything else!
Review ID: 10000000005812446  Thank you for voting. If your vote meets our guidelines, it will be posted within 24 hours. You cannot vote on the helpfulness of a review you wrote. Your request cannot be processed at this time. Please try again later.  Excellent value for money 5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
Having read the previous review by earwaxuk it is quite clear that much of what I would like to say about the E510 has already been said, very eloquently.
I too spent much time deliberating about my choice of DSLR with each manufacturer’s budget / entry level offering having pros and cons. I compared the features, the prices and read many reviews and found, as with many purchases, my budget was the overall deciding factor.
In my initial research I ruled out the Sony offerings without giving them much thought. I tried the Nikon D80 in a local shop and quite liked the feel of it. I then looked at the Canon 400D again this had advantages and disadvantages over the Nikon. I had also considered the Olympus E510 and for some reason I kept being drawn back to the E510.
I had borrowed a E410 from a department at work and found it easy to use, the menus made sense and weren’t overly complicated, it felt ok but not great. I tried the E510 in a shop and found that it sat nicely in my hands, the buttons all seemed easily accessible and the hand grip was just right.
So why go for the Olympus over the other offerings ??? I realised that I wanted quality without paying over the odds. I had ruled out the Sony offerings without even considering them and then realised why … ALL Sony products are more expensive than their rivals without any real advantages. I compared the Canon Nikon and Olympus offerings and found myself feeling that maybe Canon and Nikon were similar to Sony in this respect – yes they are market leaders but does that allow them to charge more for less ?? I don’t know if that is the case or not, but, I managed to get an E510 with 2 lenses for less than a D80 body and considerably less than a 400D body with one lens … Hmmm …
I don’t know if the Olympus compares at every level with it’s rivals but after a little time getting to know the camera I am producing photos equal to or even surpassing my old 35mm SLR and that’s all I really wanted from this purchase. I can use the 40-150mm lens at 150mm (equal to 300mm focal length on my 35mm) and take fine detailed, stable images with no evidence of camera shake. Does that make me happy? Yes.
I found the Auto-focus on all of the DSLR cameras frustrating. I was used to a manual focus with my film SLR and have found it difficult to come to terms with the concept of auto-focus … having borrowed the E410 I found it was annoying, particularly at low light levels. However I have come to terms with the E510’s auto-focus relatively quickly (to my surprise) and have found it to be accurate and easy to use.
The 14-42mm and 40-150mm lenses supplied with the E510 are great, they allow a flexibility that I had not experienced with my film SLR. The Quality of these lenses should not be understated – for standard kit lenses they are superb. I am sure that had I purchased either the Canon or Nikon cameras I would have been hankering after new lenses immediately … I have no plans to research new lenses for my 510, in fact, any lenses I do purchase will be to supplement what I already have rather than as replacements.
In summary, the E510 is a lightweight DSLR with excellent features and the overall quality is superb. At this price point the Olympus represents extraordinary value for money and I would not hesitate to recommend this camera to anyone, it clearly represents a five star buy.
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