Getting 'retro' with Digital - the Olympus Evolt E-300

Generally speaking I'm not one of those photographers who worries about the megapixel rating of a camera. I don't feel the need to shoot at 50, 40 or even 20 megapixels to take a 'good' image. Great photos have nothing to do with megapixels. I'll say that again in case you missed it - great photos have NOTHING to do with megapixels.

I have, from time to time, been known to take out a 6MP Nikon D70 and take photos with it. And despite its 'limitations' (tiny, low-res lcd screen ) I still really enjoy shooting with it. You can get some cracking images out of it. I even posted a video about my experiences with it on my Youtube channel here.

And why not? The D70 didn't stop being a camera when it was 'replaced' by the D80, or the D90 etc... Ok, 6MP won't let you print billboards, but it will let you print up to A3. And who but a handful are printing anything nowadays anyway?

Which leads me, I guess, to the subject of this post - the Olympus Evolt E-300. Which was also released the same year as the Nikon D70 (2004), and which also didn't stop being a camera when the newer E-330 was released  a couple of years later.

But why am I posting about it now - you ask? Well, I've only gone and bought one, haven't I! And why would you do that - you ask (again). That's a very good question, and I'm still trying to figure that out I suppose. But I have a few ideas....

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, it was darn cheap. I mean throw-away cheap. Of course there are a few reasons for that. A) its age - yes, it's an old camera from 2004 - practically a dinosaur technologically speaking (although you already know what I feel about that line of reasoning). We live in such a consumer-driven throw-away society, that any technology older than a few years is seen very quickly as redundant and un-useable. Which makes some of these old digital cameras a complete bargain. Ironically, they are even cheaper than old film cameras. But, of course, old technology does come with a few risks. That leads me nicely into point B) its condition. It's not in a good state. In fact giving it the term 'beater-camera' might be doing it a favour? So buying it as-is was a bit of a gamble. It may not even work at all? The seller made no promises - but did say that it was powering on when the battery was charged. So that's something I guess?

As you can see from the photos, which are of the actual camera I've purchased, it has had a pretty hard life by the looks. As seen above, the CF card door looks busted and held together by tape, and general overall condition is poor. I'm hoping that it's only cosmetic, and I won't mind using tape to keep the CF card door closed if I have to.

Actually what concerns me the most is the lens. It comes with the standard 14-45mm f3.5/5.6 kit lens, but there's something very wrong with it in the pictures supplied for the auction. For a start, it's on upside down! And it also appears to have some sort of adapter between it and the camera body? The guy selling it 'seems' to not know much about cameras. He's being very vague anyway - which also may not be a great sign. But, once again, I'm hoping that it's all purely cosmetic, and a functional camera will arrive in the post. Wishful thinking? I hope not.

So why did I but it then? I guess GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) had something to do with it. I just like buying and trying cameras. Despite all my reservations with the condition, auction images and seller, ultimately I suppose I smelled a bargain, and it was too good to refuse. Which takes me back to my original point - it was cheap. So even if it turns up DOA, I'm not really in it for much and can chalk it up to experience. But if it actually works...

Second reason I decided to get the Olympus E-300 is simple - I've always wanted one. I remember vividly when they first came out, and I wanted one then. Some reviewers at the time called the camera ugly, and it's certainly unconventional. But I like the look of it. I also like the fact that it's different from most other DSLR's - both then and now. I guess it reminds me a little of my Fuji X-E2, with its rectangular shape and viewfinder off to the left-hand side. And although it might look like a rangefinder styled mirrorless camera, it's certainly not.

The Evolt E-300 uses a rather unique mirror system instead of a pentaprism to create the view through the optical viewfinder. Olympus called it an Optical Porro Finder, and its sideways swinging mirror lends to the camera's flat-top profile. Instead of the image from the lens being directed upwards to the viewfinder prism it is directed rightwards and then up to the viewfinder which is offset from the lens axis. A similar system was used by Olympus in their Pen series of film cameras. To my knowledge, the Olympus E-300 and E-330 are the only DSLR's to ever use this unique mirror design (I could be wrong), so that alone makes me want to try the camera out. Some may think it's ugly. I actually think it's kinda cool looking. And it looks positively bad-ass with the optional grip attached!

It has an 8MP 4/3rds sensor from Kodak, and was the second DSLR Olympus released using the 4/3rds sensor mount (the original 4/3rds, not micro 4/3rds). ISO's go from 100 to 400, with a boost up to 1600 which isn't advisable. It has no IS - that came a little later. And there's also no live-view, but I'm not bothered by that. The lcd on the back is only 1.8" and low-res, so wouldn't be much good for live view anyway. It does have a silent-wave sensor cleaning system. shutter speeds up to 1/4000th, and a +/-5 EV exposure compensation range! It shoots in RAW, RAW+Jpeg, and Tiff - although I'll probably try to get the best out of the sensor by processing the RAW file.

The seller online described the camera as a 'project' for somebody, and that's exactly how I'm viewing it. I'll clean it up, hopefully get it to work, and then take it out and see what kind of images I can make with it. IF it's a working unit, and IF I enjoy using it, then it may just be the start of my journey into 4/3rds? Zuiko glass is top quality, and apparently some of the 4/3rds lenses are right up there with Canon 'L' series at a fraction of the price. I'm not put off by a 4/3rds sensor, just as I wasn't put off by micro four thirds. At the end of the day, they are all just tools you can use to create your own vision. I just hope that this tool actually works!?

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UPDATE

The camera arrived not longer after publishing this post - and nope - it didn't work! DOA 😱😠

Oh well, you win some, and you loose some....