Specifications

11/2006
without wading through endless menus or pushing arrow buttons excessively. Instead, most custom settings can be
set by pressing one of the cameras eight direct key buttons for White Balance, Exposure Compensation, ISO, Flash
Mode, Metering Mode, Auto Focus Mode, Auto Focus Frame and Recording Mode, and then turning a dial by
thumb to customise the setting as desired. All settings are viewable at once on the cameras control panel displayed
on the LCD.Skills Development:
The E-500 includes 21 pre-defined scene modes, ranging from landscape to sunset to portrait, meaning it can be
picked up and used straight away. However, as a photographers skills develop, the manual controls come into their
own, enabling experimentation only limited by the photographers imagination. P/A/S/M modes come as standard.
To radically improve the metering capability a new 49 area AE sensor providing accurate exposure values for ESP
metering is included. This uses a newly-developed evaluation algorithm. Conventional centre-weighted average
and spot metering, highlight and shadow basis spot metering and AE Lock functioning are also available too,
making the E-500 the ideal choice for any ambitious amateur or creative semi-pro wishing to develop their
individual technique and style over time.Image Quality:
The E-500 provides outstanding image quality. An eight megapixel, Full Frame Transfer CCD offers a larger pixel
area than an ordinary Interline Transfer CCD and as a result delivers images with a greater exposure latitude, more
detail and less noise.Dust is all around us and when swapping a lens on a digital single-lens reflex camera theres a
chance that a cameras electro-statically charged image sensor will attract micro dust that can ruin photos. Olympus
has developed a way for photographers to enjoy the freedom of using all the lenses of the Olympus E-System in
the most challenging, dusty environments without compromising image quality. Every time the camera is turned on
Olympus Supersonic Wave Filter, a patented ultrasonic technology that shakes at 35,000 vibrations a second to
remove dust from in front of the camera sensor, is activated. The spot-free photos that are produced liberate users
from hours spent retouching photographs at the computer.The camera is also equipped with a noise filter that can
be turned on and off, as the photographer desires to minimise image noise at high ISO values.Powerful Processor:
The E-500 incorporates Olympus TruePic TURBO image processor to ensure images pack a punch with lifelike
colour, resolution and contrast.TruePic TURBO also adds speed to picture taking. For fast burst rates, the
processor uses the dedicated 64MB image buffer for up to 4 TIFF or RAW images at 2.5 frames-per-second.
However, when using HQ JPEG images and extreme speed Compact Flash cards the number of frames a user is
able to take is only lmited by the card size. For example, when using a SanDisk Extreme III CF card the camera
can take around 4 minutes of continuous photography at 2 frames per second!To further enhance the cameras
capabilities, two memory card slots, one for a CompactFlash Type I/II (Includes Microdrive) and another for an xD
memory card, are included.Viewing The Results:
Results can be viewed on the E-500s 2.5 inch, 215,250 pixel HyperCrystal LCD screen that offers many times the
contrast of conventional LCD monitors. Views of recorded shots can be enlarged up to 14x to facilitate easy
reviewing and the LCD also doubles as the cameras easy-to-read status panel, giving clear and detailed
information of the current settings in use.FourThirds:
As the only completely digital system, based on the TIPA Award winning FourThirds Standard, the Olympus
E-System series of camera bodies, interchangeable lenses, external flash systems and other accessories provides
professionals and serious amateurs alike with the excellence they demand. The new Olympus E-500 offers an
affordable entry into the exciting world of SLR photography.Full Specifications:
Type: Interchangeable digital SLR camera.
Compatible lens: ZUIKO DIGITAL, FourThirds System lens.
Lens mount: FourThirds mount.
Body: Fibre reinforced polycarbonate.
Media: CompactFlash card (Type I and II), Microdrive, xD picture card. (Dual slot)
Effective pixel number: 8 million pixels.
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