Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/02/04

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Subject: [Leica] D Vario on E3 - was HK Winter shot
From: datamaster at northcoastphotos.com (Gary Todoroff)
Date: Mon Feb 4 19:49:38 2008
References: <200802022012.m12KAZ74000632@server1.waverley.reid.org> <D898BB42-56C0-40B7-B655-0F359AD8EB75@netvigator.com>

Howard - the Olympus E3 manual shows a 7x/10x magnification 
capability for focusing your Leica lenses - see page 32. For me, 
reading the E3 manual halted all my plans and expectations for the 
latest from Olympus. I think you used the perfect term for the E3 - 
"retrograde". The E-330 was so revolutionary. The E-3 is so 
disappointing. It's as if General Washington was in the boat crossing 
the Delaware on that stormy night, then said, "Let's just go home and 
celebrate Christmas instead." For me, nothing on the E-3 can make up 
for the lack of the E-330 Live View instant mode. If I were shooting 
sports, maybe the E-3 would be OK, but what I really want is an E-340.

It even irks me that the magnification feature on the E3 uses the 
same clumsy menu dance as on the E-330. Plus when you are focused, 
you can't just touch the shutter button to go into shoot mode, but 
must search for the OK button. The two magnifications should have 
been 5x and 10x. The new 7x option is still too much magnification if 
you are hand-holding. 10x is great on a tripod, but 5x would have 
allowed for good hand-held focus. A rifle target shooter might use a 
12x scope, but a hunter uses a 4x. Same idea. Olympus engineers 
are  spending too much time in their cubicles, I think.

I'm sure the E-3 will be a very capable camera in your hands, but I 
am grieving for what it might have been. After the wonders of the 
little Oly C-8080 and then the live view creative features of the 
E-330, I was expecting a professional camera that would have combined 
the best features of those cameras, along with some of the ideas that 
Olympus users suggested.  Instead, we got a Nikon/Canon clone. Well, 
maybe this is the window of opportunity for Leica? However, I suspect 
they may not be getting outside their cubicles too much either.

Gary Todoroff
Lympa Log - http://northcoastphotos.com/Lympa.htm

  At 04:47 PM 2/2/2008, you wrote:
>Hello Philippe,
>I asked my camera seller (who surprisingly, unlike most Hong Kong
>dealers, is quite knowledgeable) about using the Vario OIS stab on the
>E3 (which, as you know, also has built in stabilization) and he
>suggested that I should turn off one or the other so I have been using
>the in camera stabilization with the lens stab turned off. This makes
>sense to me. I reason that if both systems are on they may over
>compensate themselves or cancel themselves out. The shot was ORF
>processed in the Oly software since I couldn't get to CS2 to read the
>ORF files.  I am finding that performance up to iSO 800 is exemplary
>and with noise suppression very good to ISO 1600. The 100% viewfinder
>is a vast improvement over the dim tunnel vision of the 330E and the
>autofocus is now getting into Nikon D200 / Canon 40D territory in
>terms of speed and accuracy. Live View is a compromise over the Live
>View of the 330E and retrograde in my opinion. It doesn't have the 10X
>magnification for manual focus lenses which so improved my focus
>accuracy using R lenses on the 330E. This is a disappointment. Still,
>in sum the E3 is several steps forward over the 330E/ L1 and I suggest
>that if you try one you will likely end up buying it. However, I am
>still keeping my 330E for use with R lenses.
>Cheers
>Howard (on the periphery of the worst winter in China in 50 years)
>On 3 Feb 2008, at 4:12 AM, lug-request@leica-users.org wrote:
>
>>Message: 6
>>Date: Sat, 02 Feb 2008 13:21:13 +0100
>>From: Philippe AMARD <philippe.amard@tele2.fr>
>>Subject: Re: [Leica] Hong Kong Winter shot
>>To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
>>Message-ID: <47A46039.5040807@tele2.fr>
>>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>>
>>Thanks Howard
>>
>>It looks noise is under control there.
>>
>>Is this a JPEG shot? or have you managed to get the plug-in and it is
>>then ong converted into jpeg?
>>
>>I read you've been using the D vario on the E3 - does the OIS stab
>>operate when mounted on the E3?
>>I'm also considering an E3, hence my questions.
>>
>>TIA
>>phx
>
>
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