E-3 Build and Layout

In this case I combined 2 exposures of the birds above. Taking 1 shots of the front bird in focus, and a second shot of the rear bird, and then combined them into 1 exposure. Behind the bird on the left the odd rocks/ghosting is from the original shot, all of the shots in this series has that effect. But it is not pat of my combination of the 2 exposures.

The E-3 is really an all-digital camera, long gone are the traditional aperture settings and shutter control knobs. The PSAM dial is also gone to make room for the large LCD on the top of the camera. The overall build of the E-3 body is again done as good as the E-1. In my opinion it, like its older brother, is a waterproof (well more like damp-proof, I wouldn't take the E-3 swimming with me on purpose) camera, with every aspect of the body sealed. The button layout has taken some time for me to get used to, but I have grown fond of it over the last month or so. It was a learning curve, and those who are coming straight from the E-1 or older cameras will have a huge learning curve.

The button layout to me makes more sense, no longer do I have a focus button which I hit all the time, and screw up my focusing mechanism, which I nearly did every single day, also no longer am I knocking my diopter out of alignment, which I did way too often to be funny. But still I have to occasionally remove the camera from my eye to find the right combo of buttons to push to change modes, and I have to remember which wheel to turn. So that is still a process for me, but I expect to soon be able to do it without any problems.

I have set up the two control wheels to have the front wheel as my aperture / shutter control, and the rear wheel as my compensation, so I do not have to manually push the compensation button at the top of the camera to make minor adjustments within the camera. However, I have really found ESP to be a good middle of the road metering mode, so I really don't have to manually compensate often.

I have tried to shoot the E-3 with gloves, and must say that it was very difficult to press the correct button with gloves on my hands. My gloves are the same ones I use when fly-fishing. They are basically mittens, which convert into fingerless gloves, so that is a work around. I was out shooting in 31 F degree weather, but that is still relatively warm to others where they shoot, and they most likely will not be able to use such gloves as I have. Also I have read on the forum of a few people who keep bumping the popup flash button, but as of this point I have not had that problem as of yet.

In theory I think I could have used the rear LCD on the camera to adjust camera settings instead of the knobs on the camera. Really, for such a complex camera the rear LCD is quite nice, in which 99% of what I need is on that LCD, without ever having to go into the vast menu system. However, with the mittens came a steady supply of snow, and I kept the LCD face down on my E-3 all day as I hiked and shot. When I carry my camera it is slung over my shoulder as opposed to around my neck. I also always have the lens facing downward, to keep water and dust off the front glass of my lens. Many times I will have a second body on my other shoulder when I am shooting and this lets me carry two cameras and they will not bang on each other as I am hiking.

I really only have two issues with the E-3. First, I do not like the strap, which is provided with all E-system cameras, it to me needs to be reevaluated. I don't even take them out of the packaging any longer. Instead, I order Upstrap's and use those regularly. I am working on finding some straps this year to sell off the site for our members, because really the strap that comes on all E system cameras wears on my shoulder. And second, it slips off way to easy. The easiest fix for the strap issue that I have is to buy a third party strap. I really like Upstrap, but I have also had a few Tamrac straps, which were very good to use.

My biggest issue with the E-3 is the vertical release (HLD-4). I like that Olympus is once again building a vertical release, which was missing off many of the other E system cameras (E-330, E-510, E-500, E-400, E-410), and in fact there are many times in which it is quite valuable. I really like that I have both control wheels and also the shutter release. It seems to be a bit bigger than the native grip of the E-3, but that may be because it can hold two BLM-1 batteries. I also really appreciate that Olympus is using two BLM-1's because it really saves me from having to carry two chargers, and have two separate batteries for one camera. Also, if I have to I can always use AA batteries in the provided grip for the E-3, which in an emergency can be a lifesaver.

However, my biggest gripe with the E-3 has been the build of the HLD-4. I am very disappointed with that aspect. The soft plastic bottom, when strapped to a ball head does flex a little bit. Also, the attachment to a body plate between the E-3 and the vertical grip is quite different. So really, it is a $200 dollar accessory, which is great to have but not built anywhere near as well as the E-3. I really wish that they had done a better job with this accessory. If nothing else, the plate mount could have been the same between the camera and the vertical grip. For more information please see this blog entry about body plates, and don't miss the comments.

Two plates for the E-3, the one on the body is in its beta form but they should be shipping now.- These were designed by Acratech.net

There is one plate which jkline on the forum found which also looks like it may work nice for an all in one for both the E-3 and the HLD-4. It is designed by 4gdphoto. I will have to get my hands on one. My biggest concern though is that the plastic HLD-4 may be a little rocky as it flexes on the tripod. However 1 plate for both the body and the vertical grip would be nice. The thread for more info is located here. I will try and pick one up shortly.

4gdphoto E-3 plate.

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