Affordable Digital SLRs Arrive
We test the latest sub-$1000 digital cameras from Olympus and Pentax, and like what we see
The Olympus EVolt E-300 has a unique body style and offers 8.1-megapixel images.
Digital single-lens reflex cameras aren't exactly mass-market yet, but they're getting there rapidly. A little over a year ago, Canon shipped the first affordable digital SLR: its breakthrough sub-$1000 EOS Digital Rebel. Nikon followed with its slightly more expensive D70--a great boon to every longtime Nikon film SLR owner with a bag full of lenses. Now Olympus and Pentax have joined in.
The Olympus EVolt E-300 Digital SLR ($1000 with lens) and the Pentax *ist DS ($900 with lens) both come with a slew of creative controls and can take dazzling images. Digital photographers looking to move beyond a simple point-and-shoot model likely won't be disappointed by either camera, but each one has distinct strengths and weaknesses.
The Olympus is easily the more eye-catching of the two. There's no hump on the top of the camera because Olympus repositioned the viewfinder's optical path to the left side of the body, which makes the E-300 slightly shorter than most other digital SLRs. Our shipping unit has a polished look and feel. Its solid, bricklike body feels as though you could pound nails with it. The dials turn easily, and the body fits firmly in two hands.
The Pentax has a more traditional SLR shape, though its overall body is smaller than those of most digital SLRs. For any photographer who already owns a Pentax film body and late-model lenses, the unit provides an obvious transition to digital. Our shipping model isn't as finely finished as the E-300 (its dials are stiffer and its controls aren't as sophisticated, for instance), but its black body looks more professional than the silver Canon EOS Digital Rebel's casing.
Complex Controls
The Pentax *ist DS has a small body, but you can still use it with the numerous existing Pentax SLR lenses.
The Olympus has the edge on specs: It includes an 8.1-megapixel CCD, whereas the Pentax, like the Canon EOS Digital Rebel and Nikon D70, has a 6.1-megapixel CCD.
Both cameras will serve photographers of any skill level--convenient on occasions when you have to hand your camera to someone who's comfortable only with point-and-shoot controls. In addition to offering full-automatic exposure mode, both cameras have a selection of preset scene modes that quickly adjust your settings to specific situations. The Pentax has seven on its mode dial, while the Olympus provides five on the dial and another nine in the menus.
In the past we've praised Olympus cameras for their intuitive menus, but the E-300 takes a slight step backward. The submenus are not as well labeled as those of the Olympus C-8080 we've tested previously, and working out the location of the camera's many settings takes some time. Unfortunately, the menus on the Pentax aren't much better--there are just fewer of them.
On the plus side, the Olympus responded more quickly while we used it. Many of the key exposure controls change rapidly with the press of a dedicated button and a spin of the camera's selector dial. We especially liked the status screen on the E-300's 1.8-inch LCD. Its blue letters on a black background were easy to read, and Olympus tied the display in nicely to the camera controls.
Not Quite Automatic
In bright light, the Olympus E-300's shots, like the one on the left, had more fine-line details but were a bit underexposed. Pentax's *ist DS showed better exposure accuracy but slightly oversaturated colors.
Our formal image-quality tests involve shooting pictures in the camera's default fully automatic mode. It's a good test of a camera's ability to capture details and accurate color, before you begin introducing your own exposure-correction preferences to the mix.
In most tests, the Olympus's images were much like those we got from Nikon's D70 and Canon's semiprofessional EOS 20D: a bit underexposed, with colors slightly less saturated than the hues of the original subject. (Some digital photographers prefer default settings that produce slightly underexposed images, since this allows them to make adjustments on a PC without losing details.)
In full-auto mode, the Pentax produced more-accurate exposure values than did the Olympus camera. Colors appeared bright--even slightly oversaturated, in some cases. It captured pure whites and neutral grays especially well.
In our test target photo, the 8.1-megapixel Olympus reproduced better fine-line details than the Nikon D70--in fact, its output was comparable to that of the considerably more expensive, 8.2-megapixel Canon EOS 20D. Shots from the Pentax were noticeably coarser than those from the Olympus and a bit less sharp than those from the Nikon D70, another 6.1-megapixel camera.
The Olympus also has an edge over the Pentax when it comes to burst shooting. Capturing images in its second-best JPEG setting, the EVolt fired off a steady 2.5 frames per second, ceasing only when space ran out on its CompactFlash card. Burst mode on the SD Card--based Pentax was less consistent, with a frames-per-second speed that revved up and down, but on average the *ist DS managed 1.5 fps.
The Lens Factor
If the Olympus has a liability, it's the fact that the EVolt is a completely new SLR model that requires specific lenses. Unlike competing cameras from Canon, Nikon, and Pentax, it has no massive base of existing 35mm film camera lenses from which to choose.
The Pentax does have one distinct advantage: batteries. While most cameras, including the Olympus, require that you use proprietary rechargeable batteries, the Pentax relies on two disposable CR-3Vs or four standard AAs. Consequently you can buy your own rechargeable batteries, and in a pinch you can find replacements virtually anywhere.
After two days of head-to-head shooting, I lean toward the Olympus. Much of that comes down to personal preference, though. I like the overall feel of the E-300 and its controls, plus I generally preferred the images it produced over those the Pentax shot.
Olympus EVolt E-300 Digital SLR
This rugged, fast, 8-megapixel SLR is hard to beat--unless you're sitting on a stash of old film camera lenses.Price when reviewed: $1000 (kit with 28mm-to-110mm zoom lens, 35mm equivalent)Current Prices (if available)
Pentax *ist DS
A no-brainer if you own Pentax lenses, this smallish camera shot well in full-auto mode, but its smaller-size CCD is a drawback.Price when reviewed: $900 (kit with 27mm-to-83mm zoom lens, 35mm equivalent)Current Prices (if available)