Olympus EVOLT E-300By: Shawn Barnett and Dave Etchells8.0 megapixels, ZUIKO DIGITAL lens mount, digital SLR design, and loads of features! <<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 12:Video, Power, SoftwareReview First Posted: 11/08/2004, Updated: 03/12/2005 |
Video Out
The Olympus E-300 has a Video Out port for reviewing previously captured images and movies, or running slide shows from the camera. Through the Setup menu, you can set the Video Out signal to NTSC or PAL.
Power
The Olympus E-300 is powered by a rechargeable BLM-1 battery pack or an optional AC adapter that can extend battery life if you're doing a lot of downloads on the computer or working in a studio environment. A battery and charger come with the camera, but as always, I recommend picking up a spare battery and keeping it freshly charged and on-hand. (Despite the camera's good battery life.)
Because the E-300 uses a custom power connector, I wasn't able to conduct my usual direct power-consumption measurements, but Olympus estimates that a fully-charged battery is good for roughly 400 shots. In our own use of the camera, we never managed to run a battery down in a full day of shooting, so we're inclined to believe the 400 shot figure. (I'd actually say it's conservative, if anything.)
Included Software
The E-300 comes with a nice complement of software on the supplied CD. Direct camera control and image downloading are provided by Olympus' Master software package for both Mac and Windows platforms (Macintosh OS 8.6-9.2/OS X, Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000 Pro/XP). USB drivers for both platforms and an Apple QuickTime reader are also included.
Olympus Master lets you download and organize images, as well as perform minor image correction and enhancement functions (such as adjusting contrast, sharpness, and color balance). It also offers utilities for printing, backing up images to hard drive or CD/DVD, and emailing, making slide shows, computer "wallpaper," albums, and for stitching shots together horizontally or vertically to make panoramas. Olympus Master's editing functions also permit you to manipulate exposure, color balance, contrast, sharpness, and saturation on images saved in the E-300's ORF "raw" file format.
Olympus also offers an optional software package, Olympus Studio, intended to be more of a professional workflow tool. Olympus Studio apparently offers more sophisticated processing of raw-format files, with a better ability to suppress color moire patterns, a sophisticated noise-reduction algorithm, and more control over image parameters than offered by Olympus Master. Studio also provides a batch processing option, to automate your workflow for raw-formatted images. Olympus Master is an added-cost option, with a list price of $199 in the US, translating into typical "street" prices in the vicinity of $150.
In the Box
The Olympus E-300 EVOLT ships with the following items in the box:
- E-300 camera body.
- BLM-1 lithium-ion battery pack and charger.
- USB cable.
- Video cable.
- Camedia Master software CD-ROM.
- Neck strap.
- User manuals and registration card.
Recommended Accessories
- Camera case
- Additional battery
- BIG Compact Flash memory card (256 MB or larger recommended)
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