This camera was purchased more for my husband than for me.  I was shy about such a complicated piece of equipment.  In reality, though, it turned out to be such a GREAT camera that I wanted all our photos taken with it.  The quality is truly outstanding and the automatic settings make it simple for the beginner.  My husband uses a lot of the special features for sporting events, etc.  I may read that manual someday.....

momstoys

Ridgewood, NJ

This is my first DSLR and I bought this with much expectation and lot of fear. Although the camera seems to be delivering as promises it lacks support from users as there are very few users out there. And as a begining to professional protography you would need more support. It seems the rivals from Canon and Nikon are the winners in this segment. Still its not that difficult to master this SLR and you can start shooting pro pictires within no time. The only thing that bothers me though is its lack of good lenses available in market. The only compatible lense its thier own series of zuiko and they are damn expensive. The regular lense manufacturers support mostly Canon, Nikon or Pentax. Its too bad. I bought it with its two lense kit and am happy with that, but sometimes I wish I had more telephoto lense than just 150mm. So I am waiting for my pocket to allow me to buy one.Other than this the image quality is damn good. The greatest feature is its Sensot Shift Image Stabilization. Its rocks.

sterdale

Ann Arbor, MI

This is my second digital camera but first DSLR. I read a lot of reviews before choosing this camera and I have to say, I have been happy with the quality of the photos, and the ease of using the camera though I had to read the manual a couple times to get the options down. The image stabilization feature works great and I like being able to let in more light to capture something that may be a bit dark. I have also taken night pictures that have turned out very well. I have had this camera for a about 3 years now and have taken thousands of pictures from family events to trips across Europe. I have also invested in two additional lenses (macro and zoom) which were very expensive. I only have two cons regarding this camera: 1) it doesn't do well in low light. The internal flash only does well if the subject is within a few feet. When there is low light, the sensor light flashes over and over trying to get the right light and then your subject, if it's a person, has to stand there watching this annoying light flash over and over wondering when is the picture going to be taken. So, I bought an external flash which works great, but I have to lug it around now too. 2) The LCD screen is too small. I can't tell if the pictures are sharp (though they usually are). Overall, it has done a good job for me but now I would like something that does better in low light, a bigger LCD screen and a bit smaller, but I have invested too much in additional equipment to be able to get something else now.

JILL0400

Appleton, WI

The Olympus E-510 is my first DSLR. My uncle is a professional photographer nad has used Olympus products since his film-shooting days and recommended this brand as a good starting out camera. I stepped into this from a Canon point-and-shoot and I am so glad I did. First of all, this camera is easy to use if you are familiar with DSLR cameras and their lenses. Olympus made this camera user-friendly and all one has to do is spend a day or two reading the manual (warning: it can be very technical) to get a grasp on what this camera can do. The image stabilization that is built into the camera body really sold this camera for me. Next, after becoming familiar with the settings and menus on the camera body, one should become familiar with the lenses. I bought mine and it came with two kit lenses. They were a wide angle (14-42mm) and a zoom (40-150mm) lens. I used the kit lenses for about 8 months before buying my first prime lens. I bought a macro lens because I wanted a good portrait lens. I bought the 50mm macro lens and shot exclusively with that for a good 18 months before buying a long telezoom lens, the 70-300mm. Finally, after about another year of those two lenses, I bought my final lens, a wide angle 9-18mm. I have been successful in selling work shot with those three lenses.  The three images I posted show the range of the lenses. I shot the rocker with the macro lens, the model with the long zoom and the girl on the beach woth the wide angle. I have to say the only bad thing about this cmaera is that it is not water-sealed like the more expensive E-3. I have had my camera at the beach, in wtaer fights, and rain and it has done fine, however, having the body water-sealed is just the added extra protection I would think would come standard for this camera. Some may think that the lenses for this camera are expensive or that there aren;t that many. If one compares, Olypus uses Zuiko lenses that are lighter in weight, cover more distances than the top competitors, thus making it easy to have fewer lenses that cover more of the spectrum of distances you shoot. Where I have a 9-18mm wide lense, my Canon friends have 2 wide angles lenses to cover that spectrum. Where my long zoom is 70-300, my Nikon friends have to have 2 very heavy lenses that cover the same distance. Finally, Zuiko glass is the best on the market as far as quality is concerned. It is made by the makers who make Olypmus glass for medical equipment. The price is well worth the images you will get with this camera and its lenses.

orbitgal

Los Angeles, CA

I have owned the Olympus E-510 with the two kit lenses for about a year and a half.  I have taken close to 1000 shots with it. It takes great photos and so-so photos. It really depends on you. Straight out of the box it takes pretty good shots. With a little knowledge and some tweaking it takes great shots. One suggestion read and learn. Read the manual, at least three times. Also google "Wrotniak". He has written a review and has some suggestions for tweaking the setting on the camera for optimal performance. His advice on changing the settings is (imho) excellent and to be heeded. Also, get out of auto. Try the aperture setting and learn to blur the background on portraits. Use the shutter setting and learn to stop action or blur action. Use the internet to find out how. It's been very helpful to me. Good luck and keep shooting. Marty.

BushwickMarty

North Wales, PA

The Olympus E-510 is a very good starter camera for a professional who is just starting out. The ease of use, and quick start allow the owner to be able to jump in and get started quickly. Interestingly enough, the more you find out about the options, the more the camera becomes a truly professional tool. The quality control, diverse options, and long battery life are as good as any other tier II camera without the extra expense of a Nikon D series. I would definitely suggest getting the two-lens combo, that way your range of focal length will not be too compromised. I have shot a variety of subjects with the combo pack. Another great feature is the auto scene settings. Choices range from sports, to fireworks, to high-key subjects and allow a greater freedom to "set it and forget it". On a few occasions, I have not had the ability to plan the settings ahead of the shoot or scout the lighting conditions, and the pre-set scenes have given me a great starting point from which to adjust quickly. Most of my professors in photography school would not approve, but I find it is possible to get a good shot, with careful composition using the default auto settings when time is a factor; especially during a live sporting event where there is no getting that great goal shot back.

asheppard04

Broken Arrow, OK

The E-510 was my first dslr and I loved nearly everything about it except for size; which eventually led to my quick transition towards micro-four-thirds. If size isn't too high on your priority list, however, you're in for a treat. The kit lenses included are probably some of the best kit lenses I've used (the best being the Panasonic 14-45). Unless if you're shooting in low-light a lot, there's nothing beyond the kit lenses that you're missing. If you are shooting low-light, I recommend the Sigma 30/1.4. But at that price tag, you're probably better off investing in micro-four-thirds if you're looking for small, fast, and compact primes. The E-510 has one of the best JPEG engines that you'll see from a dSLR. Skin tones are beautiful and landscapes are nice and punchy. Like many Olympus cameras that I own (or have owned), I can't recall too many moments where I had to edit my pictures unless if I was specifically shooting black and white. Overall, I give the E-510 a 5/5.

hermaj10

Conover, NC

The Olympus Evolt E-510 is an outstanding camera for beginners and more advanced photographers alike. It has all the features you would expect from a digital camera allowing you to fully customize your picture taking experience, or not at all. It runs the gamut from preprogrammed scenes (which although I hardly use do get the job done fairly well) to fully manual controls. The picture quality is excellent even with the stock lenses. The 4/3 system was designed from the ground up for digital cameras, and the picture quality has not disappointed. The E-510 has a 2x crop factor which DOES NOT change the zoom of the lense itself, but because of how much of the image hits the sensor, makes it seem like you get more zoom. For example, if you have a 60mm lens, it "looks" like it's actually 120mm. This makes it an excellent camera for taking telephoto shots, but makes it more difficult to take wide angle shots. It could get quite expensive to get a wide enough lens to take truly wide angle pictures on this camera. I think the only thing this camera is really missing is a waterproof body. Other features such as no provision for extended run battery and only 1600 ISO available might turn off pros, but other than the waterproof body I couldn't ask for anything else in a camera.

Lazarus519

Fletcher, NC

i have always loved to take pictures since i was a young girl. so when i got enough money saved up i splurged a bit on this camera so that i could use it to take pictures of my family and friends. i love it so much because it allows me to do litttle extras to make my pictures better. when i got this camera, i was so excited to learn how to use it. it is nice because it comes with two extra lenses for use. the zoom button on the camera is great as well. also, the camera is not too heavy. i just do not like having to carry around the extra two lenses incase i feel that i need to use them. i wish that the camera was avalaible in a color other than black just for the sake of personality and uniqueness. the camera has a long battery life and it lasts long enough for me to take all the pictures i want to before heading home to charge it. this camera is one that i will use for a long time and you will too.

foodgirl4

Norwich, CT

After useing my olympus e-500 digital camera i was in love with it. I have taken many many beautiful pictures that i would not have been able to take with any other camera that is out there. My olympus e-500 is a top of the line in the olympus selection. It has so many lens that you can buy to change on the camera body itself. Clear photos on the screen and after you print the photos out. I love it so much, kept talking about how wonderful it is, great photos it takes, and everything that I could talk about it, my dad got the same camera and he loves it. olympus is also durable, I have drop mine several times on accident and it has not broke yet. I have had my camera for two or three years and it has gotten me alot of praises from people saying my photos are clear, beautiful, and wonderful. It has also gotten my several jobs, taking family photos for people that was very satified with my photos from my camera.

metalgirl218

El Paso, TX