ProductCritic: Olympus EVOLT E-510 Reviews

vnunet.com (100)

Literally the bigger brother of the current E-410 DSLR, the E-510’s chief advantage is that any lens attached becomes immediately stabilised.

Tech.co.uk (100)

The E-510 won’t oust Canon and Nikon from the top slots, but it is a return to form for Olympus and offers great value when bought as a twin-lens kit

NeoCamera.com (100)

The Olympus E-510 is a very feature-rich camera with effective stabilization and dust-reduction as well as great ergonomics and long battery-life.

DigiCamReview (95)

I’m regularly surprised by people who feel the need to buy one of the “main brand” Digital SLRs in preference to the Olympus EVOLT E-510 with image stabilisation, dust removal, a decent kit lens, and live view. The camera comes with features and modes to suit the beginner all to way up to professional photographers, and is currently the cheapest Digital SLR to feature Live View and Image Stabilisation. Photographers will be very happy with this camera. Highly Recommended!

The Sydney Morning Herald (94)

This is a camera we would recommend to anyone who wants the image quality of a good SLR without having to think too much.

megapixel.net (94)

Currently, competition in entry-level digital SLR cameras is intense. And while it may not have the most attractive price, the E-510 offers a number of features that should make it very attractive.

Digital Camera Review (92)

If I were buying a mid-level dSLR today I would probably purchase the competitively priced, compact, capable, and responsive Olympus E-510. For casual photographers, Canon Powershot S3/S5 owners, and Panasonic FZ7/FZ8 owners looking to move up to a dSLR – the E-510 is the camera you’ve been searching for. For Olympus E-300, E-330, E-400, and E-500 owners looking to upgrade, the E-510 is the camera you hoped Olympus would build.

Pocket-lint (90)

With a stunning feature set and great handling in a (slightly) beefier body than its E-410 predecessor, plus great image quality, the only thing left to want is a great price. Oh! Hang on; it has a great price too – in a variety of tasty-looking kits or body only.

ThinkCamera (90)

The E-510 is probably the most feature-rich entry level DSLR available on the market today. Competition may be rife, but it seems that Olympus have succeeded with one of the most obvious (yet effective) selling points – it’s affordable.

BlogCritics (90)

The E-510 is a great all-around DSLR. It’s light, affordable, packed with features and options, and it will help you get great photos. I would definitely recommend it to someone who’s looking to purchase a DSLR and lens kit for well under $1,000.

PhotographyReview (90)

The Olympus EVOLT E-510 is an attractive alternative for photographers who value out-of-the-camera image quality and light, compact portability

PhotographyBLOG (90)

So if portability is your prime concern and you’re buying a DSLR mainly for travel and holidays, go for the E-410. If however a greater range of photographic control appeals, then the Olympus E-510 will suit you better, and for the last reason alone it gets individual scores slightly higher than its pared-down but still impressive sibling.

The Globe & Mail (90)

A great fit for anyone looking to enter the dSLR world.

TrustedReviews (90)

The Olympus E-series continues to get better and better. The E-510 is a superb photographer’s camera, offering superb handling, outstanding performance, a huge degree of control and first rate picture quality, in a compact and robust package and at a price which comfortably beats most of the competition. It is without question one of the best semi-pro DSLRs currently available, and a genuine pleasure to use.

DigitalCameraInfo.com (89)

Olympus’ flagship DSLR is perhaps its best offering yet. It has a sturdy body and is the best-looking of any EVOLT camera, especially without the squashed look of previous E-series models.

The Star Online (89)

The E-510 is one of those cameras that becomes a lot better once you’ve learnt how to get the most out of it – you need to understand its strengths and weaknesses.

Cameralabs (89)

So if you’re being picky, you can certainly find fault with the E-510, and of course when you come to pick it up in person, you might simply prefer the look and feel of its rivals. But its unrivalled feature-set and affordable pricing makes it one of the most compelling – not to mention important – DSLRs to date.

PhotoReview (89)

More versatile than the E-410 and a slightly better performer, the E-510’s image stabilisation system will greatly expand the range of shooting conditions in which you can use your camera.

The Imaging Resource (89)

The Olympus E-510 is a good quality SLR with great controls and the added advantages of image stabilization and Live View. Though its Live View mode is not what it many will expect, introducing extreme shutter lag, it is quite useful on occasion, allowing you to get shots you couldn’t otherwise.

Digital Photography Review (87)

But overall, especially considering the excellent pricing, extensive feature set, effective image stabilization and superb design/construction/handling, the E-510 is an impressive and hugely rewarding camera in use.

Shutterbug (87)

The EVOLT E-510 is a leading contender in the 10-megapixel category with a vast range of functions, built-in stabilizer, an incredibly effective anti-dust system, plus Live View (unique to Olympus in the “affordable” category).

PC World (85)

And though its multitude of features might make it a bit daunting to some, the E-510 is a solid, flexible camera that takes very good pictures under most conditions.

Digital Camera Resource Page (84)

I like the Olympus EVOLT E-510—much more so than the E-410. That’s not just because I like the larger grip, either. I like the optical image stabilization (on every lens), improved battery life, and the extra features (mostly custom settings) that were not found on the E-410. I do think Olympus should’ve shipped the camera with different image quality defaults and offered an AC adapter, but you can’t have everything.

Good Gear Guide (80)

If features like live view, image stabilisation and dust reduction appeal to you, then the Olympus E-510 might be just what you’re looking for. While its pictures are a little on the soft side compared to competing models, they are perfectly adequate for most uses and the feature set is certainly enticing.

LetsGoDigital (80)

All in all, the Olympus E-510 is a very good D-SLR camera. It has a nice and solid build, good image quality and it is easy to use. In addition, the camera is fairly compact, it features Live View, and is part of the FourThirds System so that you can mount a large number of lenses.

Digital Arts (80)

While many digital SLRs priced around £500 have severely limited features, Olympus’s E-510 bucks the trend.

Stuff.tv (80)

The E-510 has a barrowful of features and is a joy to use but we miss the size and convenience of the cheaper E-410.

MacUser (80)

While the E-510 can’t tempt us away from the Nikon D80 with its great kit lens, it can hold its own against the Sony Alpha 100 and Canon Eos 400D, although it’s a good deal pricier. If it were only cheaper, we’d like it a lot more.

Digital Trends (80)

I have no problems recommending the Olympus Evolt E-510 two lens kit for D-SLR newbies or those who don’t have an extensive collection of older lenses. However if you have a collection of glass, go with similar 10MP Canons or Nikons.

Macworld (80)

With the Evolt E-510, you get a full-featured DSLR with more advanced features than just about any similarly priced camera.

Computer Shopper (75)

On balance, the Olympus Evolt E-510 is well-built for the price and easy to use, with great image quality. It’s an excellent value for the money and would make a good camera for day-to-day shooting.

CNET (71)

The Olympus Evolt E-510 has quirky exposure and white-balance issues, but its Live View and Image Stabilization modes may make some photographers give this SLR a chance.

ePHOTOzine (70)

For the keen photographer on a reasonable budget, the E-510 will suit.