Olympus E-510 Review

Review Date: August 6th 2007
Author: Gavin Stoker

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Conclusion

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4.5
Features	5
Ease-of-Use	4
Image Quality	4.5
Value for Money	4.5

So, the question is, is the Olympus E-510 worth the extra money over the E-410, which offers many of the same features including an identical 10 megapixel resolution? In terms of ergonomics, the E-510 feels slightly more comfortable to handle due to that nicely rounded grip, but then the trade off is a slight larger physical bulk than the E-410. The other advantage with the E-510 is built-in image stabilization, which ensures that any attached lens becomes immediately stabilised. While I didn't notice a problem with camera shake when using the Olympus E-410, if you were to go for the double zoom kit option and thus get a 40-150mm optic (80-300mm In 35mm terms) it would conceivably be an advantage at the telephoto end of the lens' range in low light. But then the Four Thirds lenses have the bonus of being physically smaller than their film equivalents anyway. At the end of the day you get slightly more flexibility of operation and capture plus better ergonomics with the Olympus E-510, but there's not a dramatic difference as regards the quality of output, with the same sensor and processor as found on the E-410 doing the lion's share of the work. So if portability is your prime concern and you're buying a DSLR mainly for travel and holidays, go for the E-410. If however a greater range of photographic control appeals, then the Olympus E-510 will suit you better, and for the last reason alone it gets individual scores slightly higher than its pared-down but still impressive sibling.

PhotographyBLOG is a member of the DIWA organisation. Our test results for the Olympus E-510 have been submitted to DIWA for comparison with test results for different samples of the same camera model supplied by other DIWA member sites.

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