Digital Camera Home > Digital Camera Reviews > Olympus Digital Cameras > Olympus E1 SLR

Olympus E1 SLR The first "Four Thirds" system (almost) sees the light of day! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet E1 Photo Gallery! E1 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on E1 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & Interface Review First Posted: 06/24/2003, Updated: 03/16/2004

Image Storage and Interface

The E-1 stores images on CompactFlash Type I or II memory cards, and is also compatible with the IBM MicroDrive. A range of image resolutions are available, including 2,560 x 1,920; 1,600 x 1,200; 1,280 x 960; 1,024 x 768, and 640 x 480 pixels. File formats include uncompressed TIFF, RAW data, and two JPEG compression levels. Through the camera's settings menu, you can specify whether a RAW image is recorded on its own, or with a JPEG copy in addition to it.

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality 128 MB Memory Card		TIFF	RAW	Fine	Normal
2,560 x 1,920	Images (Avg size)	7 16.0 MB	12 10.7 MB	32 4.0 MB	100 1.28 MB
	Approx. Compression	0.9:1 (?)	1.4:1	4:1	12:1
1,600 x 1,200 pixels	Images (Avg size)	-	-	87 1.5 MB	244 524 KB
	Approx. Compression	-	-	4:1	12:1
1,280 x 960 pixels	Images (Avg size)	-	-	134 950 KB	372 344 KB
	Approx. Compression	-	-	4:1	11:1
1,024 x 768 pixels	Images (Avg size)	-	-	205 622 KB	528 242 KB
	Approx. Compression	-	-	4:1	11:1
640x480 pixels	Images (Avg size)	-	-	488 262 KB	1128 113 KB
	Approx. Compression	-	-	4:1	10:1

 

The E-1 supports both IEEE 1394 ("FireWire") and USB 2.0 interfaces, and the camera comes with both cables. When I plugged the E-1 into my Sony VAIO Windows XP machine (Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz, 512 MB RAM), I was amazed (!) by its download speed. I clocked it at 3.04 megabytes/second, connected via the USB 2.0 interface. - Yes, that's right, over 3 megabytes per second. This makes it by far the fastest-downloading camera I've tested to date. (For reference, most USB-connected cameras max out at around 600 KB/second, with an occasional USB 2.0-compatible model hitting 1 MB/sec or slightly higher.) Obviously, to achieve these speeds, you'll need to be using a high-speed CF card. (I used a Lexar 24x WA-enabled card for these tests.)

As mentioned earlier, the E-1 also allows direct camera control from a host computer, using Olympus' new Studio software, although I haven't as yet tested this capability

Lost Images? - Download this image-recovery program so you'll have it when you need it...
Since we're talking about memory and image storage, this would be a good time to mention the following: I get a ton of email from readers who've lost photos due to a corrupted memory card. It's tragic when it happens, there are few things more precious than photo memories. Corrupted memory cards can happen with any card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune. "Stuff happens," as they say. A surprising number of "lost" images can be recovered with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software though. Given the amount of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include this paragraph in all my digicam reviews. The program you need is called PhotoRescue, by DataRescue SA. Read our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now, so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for Windows or PhotoRescue for Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the PDF manual and quickstart guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you need it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when... PhotoRescue is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital photos I've seen. (Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of the product, but I'd highly recommend the program even if we didn't.) OK, now back to our regularly scheduled review...

 

mp = 1; cb_border = 2;