The Used Olympus Evolt E-300 Review

The Kodachrome of DSLR Cameras . . .

The Olympus Evolt E-300 is a personal favorite, and the subject of my first Used DSLR Camera Review. I have dropped out of the new camera race, and no longer rush to be the first on line when a new DSLR is released. Typically, I shoot ISO 200 or less, use a tripod, and do not do much indoors or action photography. I don’t need the latest ISO 12,000 miracle DSLR camera! Also, with careful post-processing, most of us (including savvy photographers) cannot tell if an image was shot with a 6 megapixel Nikon D40 or an 18 megapixel Canon 7D at sizes below 12×19 or so. Finally, I don’t make money taking pictures. I love this hobby, yet, it is only that, a hobby. I’d rather spend my hard-earned dollars seeing great places to photograph . . . and eating. So if you’re much like me, you may find this review of one of my favorite DSLR’s of interest.

The Kodak Heritage . . .

I call the Olympus E-300 my digital Kodachrome. Like Kodachrome film, it has a unique color palette, with vivid, punchy colors with lots of consumer appeal. That is not surprising given that the fact that the Olympus E-300 sensor was designed and manufactured by Kodak. The images it produce has that Kodak look. This is a camera for sunny days and bright, sparkling colors. Having shot more than 10,000 images with this camera, I feel qualified to give my opinion of this modestly priced beast as a used camera purchase.

Why the Olympus E-300 Offers Great Value Used

The Olympus Evolt E-300 typically has the lowest resale value of all used DSLR cameras. With a bit of careful shopping, you can find a used Olympus E-300 2 lens kit (14-45mm F3.5-5.6, and the 40-150mm F3.5-4.5) for around $200.00 to $250.00 in excellent condition at reputable used camera dealers online. Is it worth buying? Yes, and here’s why:

I came to admire the Olympus E-300 after more than a year of heavy use. Although it received lukewarm reviews in the media, friends who used this camera loved it. I saw one on sale in a local camera shop that was too good to pass up. It was a demo model with less than 800 shutter actuations and in mint condition. It came with an electronic remote, battery grip, extra battery, and all manuals in the original box for $200. I next purchased the two kit lenses sold with this camera locally on Craigslist, the 14-45mm F3.5-5.6, and the 40-150mm F3.5-4.5 lenses in like new condition for $80.00 for the pair. With a bit of careful shopping, you can probably find an even better deal on a gently used E-300 with kit lenses online. All images on this page were shot with this camera and the kit lens at 100 ISO.

Downtown Phoenix Apartment Building on a Summer Day, Olympus E-300, Kit lens. ⇑

My first impression was of a sturdily built camera body that has every feature most photographers will ever need. You want to do mirror lockup on a tripod or spot metering? Do you need auto bracketing for HDR? It can all be done with ease. This is a fully loaded camera body. Because of its age, the rear lcd is smaller than what is typical in more modern DSLR’s. However, that is something I quickly adjusted to.

Truthfully, this is one ugly camera body. However, when you add the battery grip, it is transformed into a very professional looking combo that earned many admiring glances and comments as I used this camera throughout the year. If at all possible, get the Olympus battery grip, it really transforms the look of the camera from “a toad into a handsome prince.” Also, it makes the camera much more comfortable to grip during long shooting sessions.

Rosson House, Phoenix, Arizona, Olympus E-300, Kit lens. ⇑

The camera construction is rock solid, and holds up well under heavy use. I typically shoot 200-400 shots per week with this camera during the year in dusty desert environments. I never had a problem with sensor dust (thanks to the Supersonic Wave Filter dust reduction system feature in the camera body).

The Olympus Evolt E-300 became my camera of choice for shooting in the sun-drenched Sonoran Desert environs of Phoenix, Arizona. In fact, I preferred it over the Canon Rebel XT that was until that point my main camera. Why? The E-300 loves the sun. The Kodak 8 megapixel sensor that powers this model was used in only two Olympus models, the E-300 and E-500. It is really special! Kodak knows a thing or two about color, and it shows in the results this tiny 8 megapixel sensor produces in bright outdoor light.The sample photos shown in this article were all captured in Arizona with this DSLR. It records strong sunlight images without being overwhelmed. The colors are vivid and punchy, and remind me of the look of Kodachrome slide film. Like slide film, the images have a default personality or look that is very pleasing, but not neutral. Given the sensor’s Kodak heritage, that is not surprising. If you plan to shoot in harshly lit outdoor environments, this is the ideal camera for it. It loved the relentless Arizona sun and captured some of my favorite images taken in that state.

After the Dust Storm, Papago Park, Phoenix, Arizona, Olympus E-300, Kit lens. ⇑

The Olympus Evolt E-300 kit lens, the 14-45mm F3.5-5.6 is in my opinion, the finest kit lens made today. It too loves the sun. I have not, in the thousands of photos captured with this camera, seen a single case of bad chromatic aberrations (the nasty purple and pink fringes seen on dark edges with bright backgrounds) in any of my photos, even those shot in harsh sunlight. That is evidence of the excellent design inherent in this kit lens, and, its being perfectly matched with this camera and sensor. The lens is sharp edge to edge and an excellent performer, well above the standards of a typical kit lens. I can also highly recommend the 40-150mm F3.5-4.5 zoom telephoto included with the E-300 2 lens kit. Because of the “four-thirds” sized sensor, the 40-150mm provides the equivalent of a 80-300mm lens on a 35mm camera (the 14-45mm lens is a 28-90mm 35mm equivalent. You will be quite happy with the results from both lenses.

Winter Sunset on the Lagoon, Papago Park, Phoenix, Arizona, Olympus E-300, Kit lens. ⇑

This is not the best camera for low light photography. The same sensor that handles harsh sunlight so well tends to become noisy and lose saturation in low light. Low light images tend to look a bit flat and dull even at the lowest ISO, and usually need a bit of noise reduction in post-processing. The image below needed considerable post processing to compensate for the loss of color saturation in low light images.

Saguaro Cactus Near Sunset, Papago Park, Phoenix, Arizona, Olympus E-300, Kit lens. ⇑

If you plan to shoot in raw mode (as you should if you want full control over the image creation process), it is critical to match this camera with the best possible raw converter. Olympus Master 2, the raw editing software bundled with this camera is a poor product. Frankly, the jpeg’s produced by the camera look much better than anything you can produce from the raw file using Olympus Master. Here is a short list of free and low cost raw software that will produce the best results from raw Olympus E-300 files:

Scarab Darkroom: Free, easy to use raw conversion software. It is currently in beta, but is a stable product that rarely crashes. However, it makes beautiful color conversions from Low ISO raw Olympus E-300 files. The colors are vivid and lifelike. This is not the best software for noisy High ISO images as it does not have any noise reduction features built in. However, it must be said that the E-300 is not the camera to buy if you want to shoot high ISO images.

Raw Therapee: Free raw conversion software. Has more controls than Scarab Darkroom however it is also more difficult to use. You must read the manual to master this software. If you do, it has all the power and features you need to manage all of your images, both high and low ISO. To my eye, the colors are not as pleasing as those produced by Scarab Darkroom. However, that is an aesthetic preference that you may not agree with. Since it is free software you can download both programs and use each as you prefer.

Lightcrafts Lightzone 3.8: For $100 (the current price as of writing this article) this amazing software is a bargain, and my software of choice for the best-looking images from Olympus E-300 raw files. I prefer its output over the more expensive Adobe Lightroom 3 and Capture on 5 with this camera (again, a purely aesthetic preference). As you become more creative in editing color and the look of your images, you will love the creative tools in Lightzone.

The Olympus E-300 was given lukewarm reviews by most critics when new. However, while it does have limitations, (as I’ve noted) if purchased and used for its strengths, you will be delighted. This is a sun-loving camera, not the best choice for low light work. I have produced beautifully detailed 17×20 inch prints from my E-300 files. Most of us will rarely, if ever, print larger than that. Therefore, don’t worry about the fact that it is “only” 8 megapixels. Used Olympus cameras tend to have very low resale prices. The E-300 is a flawed but beautiful gem that is typically the cheapest DSLR’s on the used market. Match it with the right raw software and use it for its strengths. This budget wonder will delight the frugal photographer!

I have a large number on images posted here that were shot with my Olympus E-300. View them here.

Tagged with: Kodachrome • Olympus Evolt E-300 • Used DSLR Camera Reviews