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We've been waiting five years for Olympus to fully realize the benefits of the Four Thirds Standard digital SLR system: smaller camera bodies, compact lens designs, enhanced image quality, and innovative digital features. Sure, we've seen the innovation -- the Ultrasonic Dust Removal System, the first live, color, LCD preview -- but early Evolt DSLRs were bulky, with lenses as large as 35mm versions, and were outclassed by competitive models with faster autofocus systems and higher image quality.
Now, though, Olympus has made good on that early promise with its latest DSLR, the 10-megapixel E-510 ($800, street, body only; $900 with 14-42mm f/3.5- 5.6 ED Zuiko lens, reviewed here; or $1,000 with an additional 40-150mm f/4-5.6 ED Zuiko).
As we pointed out in our Hands On in May, the E-510 and its less-expensive sibling, the E-410 ($700, street, body only), both share the same 4:3 aspect ratio, 10MP Live MOS sensor, and thirdgeneration TruePic III imageprocessing engine.
In our tests in the Pop Photo Lab, both cameras delivered exactly the same color accuracy, resolution, and noise results when mounted on a steady tripod -- due, no doubt, to their identical sensors and imageprocessing hardware. However, the E-510 showed better resolution in low-light field tests without a tripod, thanks to the camera's sensor-based image stabilization.
In our image quality tests, both in the Lab and in the field, RAW images converted to 16-bit TIFF files, using the supplied Olympus Master 2.02 software, yielded significant improvements over images shot and stored as JPEGs in the camera.
Don't misunderstand: The highest-quality JPEGs from both the E-510 and E-410 look just as good (or even a bit better) than JPEGs from most competing 10MP DSLRs -- and, at higher ISOs, much better than those from the new Sigma SD14.
However, color accuracy is noticeably higher in converted RAW files at all ISOs and Excellent at ISO 1600, where JPEG results were rated Extremely High.
The most dramatic improvements gained from shooting in RAW mode can be seen in the differing noise levels in RAW and JPEG images shot at ISOs from 100 to 1600. In that range, JPEG noise levels ranged from Very Low (1.5) to Low (1.8) -- impressive results, especially considering that the camera's builtin noise reduction barely affects image resolution, maintaining an average 1890 lines and an Excellent resolution rating at ISO 1600.
Yet RAW images at ISO 1600 were even better, showing noise levels nearly identical to JPEG images shot at ISO 100, for a noise rating of Very Low. Although resolution at ISO 1600 dropped about 10 percent, it still averaged above 1700 lines, earning it an Excellent rating. At ISO 100 to 400, noise ratings for RAW files were Extremely Low; resolution was slightly higher at ISO 100.
That stellar performance earns both the E-510 and E-410 Excellent overall image quality ratings for RAW images from ISO 100 to 1600, and Excellent image quality ratings for the highest-quality JPEGs from ISO 100 to 800.
The Olympus Master 2.02 software, which comes with both versions of the camera, is a versatile and well-designed RAW converter. It includes a thumbnail image organizer, before-and-after preview windows, and powerful image-quality controls -- among them, curves, sharpening, and lensdistortion correction.
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