June 18, 2006

Yes, I'm back from Poland, except that I haven't spent much time working on these pages since coming back. First, we Slavs are supposed to be stereotypically lazy, and no degree of Americanization will help here. Second, I was busy taking pictures, including a trip to the Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks, NC, over the Memorial Day wekend. Ocracoke is as enjoyable as always, and so are the sunsets over the Silver Lake harbor.

Spending much time outdoors, I've done lately quite a lot of telephoto shooting with the E-500 using the two inexpensive lenses I have: the Sigma 55-200 mm F/4-5.6 DC and Olympus 40-150 mm F/3.5-4.5 ZD. To all those who keep asking: there is no doubt that the Olympus lens is better, if somewhat more expensive. It is sharper overal, in addition to being 2/3 EV brighter at the long end. I am also under an impression that the camera's AF system work better with it. The Sigma has 30% greater reach and will be OK for many applications (with a price hard to resist), but the Oly lens is better, giving me clearly superior results, especially wide open.

In early July I'll be flying to a short vacation on the island of Anguilla in the Caribbeans. People say Anguilla has some of the most beautiful beaches in that region, and I just had a pleasant and entertaining email exchange with a photographer based there (hello, Susan, I hope you are enjoying your E-500!).

Still, I was able to make some additions and/or corrections to a number of E-500 articles, and get another one ready: Focus bracketing in the E-500. You thought that feature is available only with manual focus, as stated in the manual? Wrong, you can use it retaining the AF as well.

While in Poland, I picked up my IR-QA Angle Finder. I'm happy to say that the thing is well-made and works as advertised. Details can be found in the updated review.

More stuff to come — when I find time to write it...

May 7, 2006

I am now getting ready for my trip to Poland, leaving tomorrow; Ill be out of town for a week with limited access to the Internet, including email. While there, I am picking up the IR-QA angle finder, on which I already received three pieces of feedback from satisfied owners; one of those I'm quoting in extenso in the article. My own impressions to follow.

I was quite busy lately, trying — no small deal — to streamline the way in which flights arrive to the busiest airport in the world. This is why I limited myself to modifying and expanding the existing articles, instead of starting new ones.

Responding to a couple of requests, I've added program graphs for the two E-500 "kit" lenses to the Using Your E-500 article. Some readers may find this useful. The article is still being expanded and cleaned up.

Having bought a two-gigabyte SanDisk Extreme III card, I decided to measure the writing speeds of the E-300 and E-500, with the results added to my card/camera benchmark article. The Extreme III write acceleration technology seems to work, indeed: expect about two seconds per image, be it raw ORF or JPEG.

Surprisingly, the C-5050Z of 2002 is not far behind, writing a raw image in just three seconds, much faster than with the older breed of cards. This still is a small jewel of a camera, and I take it over any present-day rangefinder competition. Equip it with the newest 2700 mAh NiMH batteries from Maha (well, there is even a 2900 mAh model, but I trust Maha ratings more), and it will give a good run for the money to anything you can find on the market now.

Speaking of batteries: what happened to Sanyo eneloop? (Yes, lowercase, don't ask me why!) Announced with much fanfare almost a year ago, these NiMH batteries were supposed to offer the best of both worlds: price and compatibility of NiMH AA's and freedom from self-discharge, like the Li-Ion chemistry. Last time I looked nobody in the States seemed to be selling them. Vapor-batteryware?

From the email I'm getting, I can see a revival of interest in the venerable E-20. In spite of a five-year old design and specs, this camera can still hold its own against much of the newer competition, at least in most shooting situations, and, on the novelty-driven market, used ones often can be picked up cheaply. Some people also begin to realize, that a fixed-lens SLR may have some advantages, in particular, a complete freedom from the dust problem. And the live electronic preview is, I think, better and more hassle-free than in the new E-330 (of which I hear better-than-expected opinions).

The continuing E-500 infrared story: three users reported findings consistent with mine (using the recent version); unfortunately, without serial numbers or purchase dates I cannot make any hypotheses about when the new anti-IR filter was introduced.

For the record: the E-System firmware article has ben updated with the newest E-500 information.

Some Readers report problems printing these articles for reference, with the right-hand part of text missing. This is not my fault: all browsers (with Microsoft Internet Explorer being, as usual, the worst offender) have difficulties in formatting text in tables — and I am using tables to define the text flow. Actually, Microsoft is listing this as one of the problems fixed in their upcoming Version 7! From my experience (including also Opera, my browser of choice, and Firefox), reducing the margins in the browser's print setup fixes the problem.

The next update to these pages will show up in two weeks or so; maybe later if I'm really busy after coming back home.

May 1, 2006

I just posted the new Picture of the Week, a view of the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Eagle-eyed Readers may notice that the image was postprocessed with use to two different programs: Paint Shop Pro to correct the perspective (about 2%; the camera had to point a bit upwards, and Photo-Paint to do everything else. (The TIFF format was used for transfer between programs to avoid double compression losses.)

You may ask why: couldn't I do it with just one program? Yes, there is an explanation. But you will have to wait for it three months, as this is the subject of an article I wrote for the upcoming issue of the British Olympus Circle Quest newsletter, and those I reprint here only after the next issue is out.

September, 2006: the article has been posted here.

April 29, 2006

Last week I wanted to add another infrared sample to the article on IR photography with the E-500. What was intended to be a half-hour project turned out to be a two-day distraction.

What happened? I just stumbled upon a production change in the E-500, introduced at some time between last October and March. As you remember, my E-500 was sent to Olympus for a shutter repair. After that, the IR sensitivity of the camera is about ten times lower than before. The details are given in the article, but everything makes me believe that the camera I received back has also a new, changed anti-IR filter in front of the CCD imager.

Fact one: From the September '05 interview with Mr. Terada of Olympus published by Foto Imagen Digital:

The low pass filter is the same but the Infrared filter is new. Now we are using a quite better IR filter, the same that you can find in some professional cameras. It is a really good component that will help to improve the image quality.

Fact two: According to my October IR trials, the sensitivity of the E-500 to infrared remains the same as that of the E-300. The sensor remains the same, therefore the filter is not more restrictive.

Fact three: Similar trials run in April, after my shutter assembly was probably replaced by Olympus, the IR sensitivity dropped by a factor of 10×. Meter indications (through the IR filter) remain the same.

Most plausible explanation: The new filter did not make it to the early E-500 production runs (my camera was purchased on day one of availability), but it is being included into the current ones.

The bottom line: Most probably the change is for the better (at least for most users, who do not shoot in infrared). Still, I don't it like when the makers introduce a change into the product without telling us about it.

To quote from my article (which is of interest mostly to those who are thinking about IR photography with the E-500):

Many camera makers do that, not just Olympus; but I still think this is just wrong. If this is a common practice, then what will stop a less-than-ethical maker from economizing after the camera has been released, all tests and reviews published? Hey, we still have twelve megapixels, and you don't need to know that we switched to cardboard lens mounts!

One of the Readers reported being able to buy the elusive ME-1 eyepiece magnifier for the E-500/E-300/E-330 from Adorama. When I checked, they were out of stock again. Back to square one.

This is all I can say now, before I can actually try the device. I'm going to Poland the next weekend, so we will see. In the meantime, here is a preliminary version of the review, just the pictures and basic data, but no impressions, evaluations, or conclusions. This will be in place in two or three weeks, when I'm back in Maryland.

April 16, 2006

I'm still working on the Using Your E-500 article, and, frankly speaking, I'm learning quite a lot in the process, having to explore some features which I usually do not use, or use differently within my working habits. Still, I need another month or so before the article is where I want it to be. And, so far, no illustrations, which makes the piece a bit difficult to read. I have also updated Setting Up Your E-500, and both pieces now have a hyperlinked, detailed table of contents.

Having used the E-500 with the bounced FL-36 flash at a recent party at my friends' place, I could see, once again, how the camera suffers from inability to use the built-in unit for a fill-in. While the ceiling-bounced light is quite soft and pleasing, the images lack the "punch" provided by the fill-in, softening the shadows. Next time I will use the E-300 for such purposes. And, yes, the finder: who would think that 10% in the finder image size makes such a difference? It does.

The magnifying MA-1 eyepiece, promised by Olympus to be available in January, does not seem to be available anywhere. The Olympus Emporium online store is listing it, true, but out of stock. The same about the new Sigma lenses in the Four Thirds mount, announced two months ago. Come on, people, what will I do with my tax refund?

April 9, 2006

My E-500 came back from the Olympus service center as good as new; the whole process, including transit in both directions, took exactly one week. Not bad. There was no comment included on what was done, but if the shutter is dead, it is dead. I would like to know if this is a pattern; if anyone experienced a dead shutter in this camera, let me know.

Interestingly, I've sent the camera to Olympus with firmware updated to Version 1.1, and received it back with the original Version 1.0. Does this mean Olympus has problems with accessing the latest version of their own firmware? I wouldn't be so surprised, see below.

Anyway, my older E-300 I was using in the meantime reminded me how good that camera really is, and while its controls are no match for the E-500 Control Panel, it is so nice to use a built-in flash as a fill for the bounced external unit...

In the meantime, Olympus announced a v1.2 firmware upgrade for the E-500. I don't still know how it works, as my Olympus Master just reports being unable to connect to their server. My all Internet connections work just fine, I even removed the firewall just in case it was confused (it never was before), no good. I have tried for four days in a row, to no avail.

I consider the system of firmware upgrading used by Olympus just a plain mistake. What would be wrong with a scheme (used, among other makers, by Olympus in the past) where you download the upgrade any way you please, copy it to a memory card, and let the camera sort it out? Actually, the Olympus Master software is also supposed to "upgrade itself" in a similar way, and it also refuses to do so. Once again, what would be wrong with providing just a simple install executable, which you could download in any way you please?

Complicating things without a prevailing need is a bad thing, and I am not alone experiencing these problems. My advice to Olympus: re-assign the Einsteins who came up with this idea to some other work (like straightening old paper clips in the basement) and hire some 16-year old to bring things into shape.

OK, if I sound angry, that's because I am. I don't like things which do not work. Who does?

Update: Just as I was going to upload this to the server, I've tried again. This time both Olympus Master and the firmware were upgraded just fine. Obviously, the problem was with some scripts on the Olympus site. This does not change the validity of I just wrote above; expect soon a note on the new firmware.

Over the last month I received quite a number of emails regarding my E-500 customization article. This mobilized me to finishing another one, on using this camera, while it is still quite raw (it usually takes a month or two to fill the gaps and iron out the wrinkles).

I finally decided against buying the new E-330. While the camera looks very attractive, I think it may be better to focus on taking pictures than buying new equipment. And, somewhere in the back of my mind, I still have this thing against complicating things more then necessary... (Besides, I want to have a hands-on look at the Panasonic DMC-L1 when it comes out later this year. I may have to take a second mortgage, so what?

On another front, I received three emails regarding the Olympus-Ritz riff (see the March 12 note below). All three, claiming insider information, say that a few years ago the owner/CEO of the Ritz chain discovered that Olympus was offering lower wholesale prices to some of the competition. To spare you details, the results are as you see them today: no Olympus at Ritz. Just a gossip? Maybe, but maybe not. The bottom line is what we can see, and this is a fact.

March 12, 2006

The article on setting the E-500, posted last week, was well received, judging from the email I'm getting. Actually, in just a few hours after posting I've got the first messages (including those pointing out some typos; thanks! every little thing helps!). With things like this, I want to write a companion piece — notes on using and adjusting that camera in the field. (I wanted to write one for the E-300, but, let's face it, the E-500 is so much more fun to use!).

In the meantime, my E-500 is going to Olympus to have the shutter fixed. Calling the technical service was a civilized experience: after going through the automated menu it took just 20 seconds for a live person to pick up the receiver, and in about three minutes I had the service information sent to my email address. (Yes, I timed the whole process.)

Does anyone know what went sour between Olympus and Ritz Camera? About five (?) years ago digital cameras by Olympus disappeared from Ritz stores without any explanation (none on the Ritz site, either). I remember buying a number of Olympus film cameras from Ritz in the past, so both organizations certainly know about each other's existence, and at least budget models by Olympus are prominently visible in some other mass-market outlets. Oh, well. On the other hand, Ritz lists the Kodak Pro 880 as a "digital SLR". This follows the general trend — see some discussion groups, where "SLR" means simply "a camera with a hump". Life is cool, dude...

More of the same? In addition to the big, painstakingly detailed, review of the E-500, I wrote another, shorter one on the some subject, for the December issue of the Quest quarterly by Olympus Circle. It is much shorter, and aimed mostly at film camera users. Now, that the next Quest out, I am free to post the mini-review here.

I also largely rewrote my Depth of Field article, originally written in 2000 and updated just a bit since. In particular, a series of graphs have been added, giving a better idea of how DoF depends on various factors.

In the meantime, the weather in Maryland is warm and mild: trees will be blooming soon; time to get a camera and do some shooting.

March 5, 2006

I just realized that my Web site is already ten years old: it goes back to November 5, 1995! Only in 1997 I posted the first pages on photography, though, and in 2000 started writing about Olympus digital cameras, starting from a detailed, technical review of the C-3000Z.

Ten years is a long time on the Internet, with so many Web sites coming and going, and so many looking only after a quick buck. In case you want to have a look, here is the full story.

Last week all photography enthusiasts were watching the yearly PMA show in Orlando, Florida, to see what new toys will this year bring us.

The new features in the 30D include some which the users of recent Olympus SLRs take for granted: a 2.5", high-resolution LCD screen, "picture styles" (image processing presets, of which the E-500 has five: three in color and two in monochrome), spot metering, and individual RGB histograms. All of these are welcome additions to a good and proven model, and I find it quite attractive at the $1400 (body only) price.

This starts looking like a pattern: major consumer electronic manufacturers are getting on the digital SLR bandwagon, teaming up with "traditional" SLR makers: in addition to Panasonic's bold move, Samsung entered the market with two re-branded Pentax *ist models, and Sony is expected to revive the operations of Minolta's camera division it took over — I would expect some big news from them soon.

For those who believe (as I do) in the Four Thirds standard, the Panasonic announcement has even more importance, adding more credibility and promising more choice in terms of matching bodies and lenses from various manufacturers. The DSC-L1 comes with a Leica-branded, image-stabilized zoom lens of high quality, and it is expected that more Leica lenses will follow.

At the same time, Sigma, a major independent lens maker, released five of their designed-for-digital offerings in the Four Thirds mount. While the previous Sigma 4/3 lenses were "economy" ones, these are mid-range. The new line-up adds a bright 30 mm, F/1.4 prime lens, which I find a very attractive option. No zoom means better optical quality, the focal length is equivalent to 60 mm on a film SLR (close to the "perfect standard" of 58 mm), and the wide aperture makes it very attractive in available-light photography. It also allows you to control the depth of field in a very effective way.

The new Sigma lenses should be available shortly, as most are really mount modifications of ones already available in Canon or Nikon fittings for cameras with APS-C sized imagers (which have frame height just 13-16% larger, depending on particular model). This allows us to make a good estimate of prices we may expect: 100-1000 mm is currently selling at $970, the 30 mm at $400, with some others in-between. I have updated my Four Thirds lens table to provide the basic data on the new Sigma lenses.

February 26, 2006

I have just posted a big piece on customizing the Olympus E-500, as promised, and a co-operative effort with Rafael Millán on the E-Series VA-1 Angle Finder accessory. I am also in touch with the makers of a 45° angle finder for E-System cameras in Poland (see the article), as that offering looks quite attractive, too.

February 5, 2006

On a wider front: Minolta (or Konica Minolta after the last merger) is out of camera business. Too bad; their film SLRs were my favorites for almost two decades, and the manual-focus XD cameras are still a delight to use. While Sony is taking over the Minolta SLR division, I'm not sure what will happen to the DImage line of film scanners; I was planning to buy one of those soon...

Also posted this week: updates to firmware information on C-5050Z, C-5060WZ, and E-500. This, again, in a response to all who were asking.

January 30, 2006

Yes, I am back from Poland, having tried the Arctic winter there over Christmas and New Year.

The bad news: one day before the New Year the shutter of my new E-500 simply stopped working. Everything else (metering, focus, mirror action) seems to be normal, except that the shutter just plain does not open. I hope this is just an isolated case; there are no signals of the problem being common. Anyway, I have to send the thing in for a warranty repair, using the E-300 in the meantime. I will keep you posted.

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