Olympus Evolt E-330 DSLR with Live View LCD previewed
By Paul Miller 
posted February 13th 2006 9:48AM
posted February 13th 2006 9:48AM
posted February 13th 2006 9:48AM
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it's about time! The photogs have always told me that this wasn't possible. I guess I was right when I told them that when there's a will, there's a way!
Hey,
The Sony DSC-R1 already does this (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydscr1/)...
Does this camera have interchangable lenses though? That'll put it in front of the Sony if not? Same old, same old...
I don't get it, what exactly is this "Live View" ?
um..sorry to break it to you guys, but digital cameras have had "live preview" screens for over 8 or 9 years.
thats why they made these sreens, to encourage people not to use viewfinders.
whats soo great about this camera, then?
#2, #4, OK... My head's gonna explode!
THIS IS AN SLR CAMERA -- The Sony DSC-R1 is NOT an SLR, and Please, Spear, just find a way to get a clue... Yes Digital cameras have had "Live Preview" since they all came to market. Digital SLRs have not.
A simple click on the "Read" link would have prevented both of you from embarrassment.
True that digital cameras have had the live preview screen for years but, this is the first DSLR camera to have it. DSLR cameras have had the preview/review screen but this is the first to have the 'live' preview. Pretty nifty!
wow, four idiot posts in a row. has to be a record.
!: you are an idiot, of course its possible. it is however a dumb idea to put this on a DSLR.
2: The sony is a fixed SLR-type. So of course it can and does have 'live view'. And yes the Olympus DSLR in fast has... wait for wait... interchangeable lenses.
3: Live view is where you look at the LCD instead of in the viewfinder. So much pretty much any consumer digicam on the market. What makes this different is that it is an SLR.
4: You are too, and idiot. This is a DSLR, not a wimpy little pocket cam. Olympus is creating an army of idiots who want to spend money on equipment they have no idea how to use. But, they have the 'Live View' LCD which makes it cool. Great.
While the live preview is of little practical use to me, I'd think that the same technology that allows a sensor to be put inline could be used towards generating a live histogram... which could then be overlaid, transparent HUD style over the optical viewfinder, so you could get a realtime display of your exposure's histogram.
I'd buy that one instantly.
I agree NeoreiX, a live histogram would be of much more use than this live view junk. But props to olympus because they are about to make a whole lot of money. This cateers to the 'high-end' consumer so well.
NeoteriX that's a brilliant idea. I wonder if I can a for that :)
10. NeoteriX that's a brilliant idea. I wonder if I can get a patent for that :)
Wow, #7 you're the real idiot!
"you are an idiot, of course its possible. it is however a dumb idea to put this on a DSLR."
First off, whenever I said it was possible, I got idiots like you telling me it wasn't possible. Second off, although you may find this as a "dumb idea", people like me would like to take macro pictures or images at waist/floor level AND not strain and contort our bodies in order to set up the picture through the viewfinder. The LIVE preview is a welcome feature for people like me. It's also good for photo journalists who often are seen on TV on the floors of senate meetings or in crowds blindly taking pictures of a politician by raising the camera over their heads and hoping for a decent photo. For photo journalists, a live preview is a welcome feature.
So don't call me an idiot or call this a dumb idea just because you don't like it. If you don't like it, I'm sure the camera manufaturers will still make camera for purists like yourself.
Stop blasting others for having a different opinion!
Yeah, in general live view is just a gimmick for a SLR. There are a couple reasons for this. The live preview is not going to give you a high quality image to base your photo taking decisions on. It's going to be more difficult to judge focus for example. I am not sure how it works in this case but if the same image capture sensor that captures the photo also does the live previewing then there is going to be a loss in image quality. If the on-chip amps are on all the time then that is going to raise the temperature of the chip. Higher temperature means more noise (worse low light images) The other main reson is that SLR's are often much heavier than digicams and holding it up to your eye gives the camera an extra anchor point which makes it easier to steady and at the same time allows you to hold more weight for a longer period of time. Imagine holding an SLR with a 500mm lens out at arms length trying to snap a picture. My camera weighs 10lb with a 200mm lens attached. The idea of taking a picture using a live LCD is silly. Most people also find it easier to compose an image through the lens. The camera becomes an extension of your eye and that seems to help when deciding how to capture a particular scene.
Better review of the camera here...
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/olympuse330/
Uses 2 CCDs to accomplish the "live-view".
"people like me would like to take macro pictures or images at waist/floor level AND not strain and contort our bodies in order to set up the picture through the viewfinder."
I use an angle finder for this purpose.
"I use an angle finder for this purpose."
Do you use an angle finder when taking a picture arm's length above your head when you're in a crowd of people and can't get a clear shot otherwise?
Sure the live preview won't better at setting up the shot, but in some cases, it's better because looking through the view finder is not an option.
Obviously is attempting to fulfill a demand out there that has been clamoring for such a feature. For you photogs out there, disregard this camera as it's probably not for you. If these kind of cameras sell, then who is to say if this feature is dumb if people are willing to buy it?!
If you're taking pictures of your kids with automatic exposure and autofocus, the LCD will be great for you; if you're doing anything manual and/or precise, you already know that this is just a gimmick. This is still a prosumer camera (LCD gimmicks aside, what pro is going to use an SLR with only one command dial?).
This is a great feature. And even though initially it may be a "gimmick" to some, I'm sure all digital cameras were initially regarded as "gimmicks" when they first came as they had had poor resolution, high noise and in no way had the quality of even point and shoot 35mm cameras. Tons of people clamored that digital would never supplant film and that it was just for consumers, etc. Well as technology has marched on we know digital is relegating film to obsolescence and specialized niche markets. I strongly believe the same will happen with this technology in regards to OEVs. Yes, obviously there are still obstacles to surmount such as battery life and quality of the screen used for live preview among many others but these are rudimentary issues that will be solved as other technologies are developed. Will OEVs will disappear like film? No of course not, however if more SLRs had EVFs I would much prefer using them to pressing an SLR up against my face.
It has an optical viewfinder like all other DSLRs. The OVF is 80% as bright as it would be without the live view option. This won't be much different than most consumer DSLRs, which already have dim OVF's. I like the idea.
the idea is just nonsense.
anyone who's ever used an SLR, digital or film, will know that the viewfinder is the surest way of getting the proper picture. the color accuracy on those LCD previews is usually atrocious, causing you to overcompensate for it, and then wonder why it looks like poo on your screen. also, if you're doing fast action photography, is the LCD going to be able to keep up? I don't know the details of this, but and LCD's refresh rate is, last time I checked, much slower than my eye's. plus, the human eye can detect many more little intricacies through an actual reflected image, rather than a digitally displayed image which is limited by a set number of pixels.
Just clearing up that this isn't the first SLR with live preview, but the others havn't been that useful. The Fuji S3pro has it, but i believe its black and white (and time limited) and the Canon 20Da has it but again it's time limited to 30 seconds (the 20Da is a 20D with no IR filter made specifically for astrophotography)
I'm no pro photographer or anything but it seems like there's some serious hostility going on about this new live view on DSLRs...have any or you actually tried the new cameras? It's amazing how harsh and rude humans can be to one another ...talking (or typing) without thinking or knowing for sure what they talk about...people are entitled to their opinions, each to his own...photography is an individual "sport" - we each play by our own rules
So quit acting like someone just broke your favorite toy! Get another one!