Silent witness Nick Danziger, one of the UK’s foremost documentary photographers, was been given unprecedented access to Number 10 during the ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair’s last weeks in office. His photos give a rare insight into life within the corridors of power. /consumer/208_silent_witness.htm /consumer/images/banner_1.jpg Underwater photography Fascinating worlds full of colours and details that will remain undiscovered to the photographic eye without special equipment: Underwater photography counts among the last great adventures of modern camera work and offers motives of... /consumer/208_underwater_photography.htm /consumer/images/banner_2.jpg /consumer/208_17709.htm Read more Read all articles Read all articles

More flexible than ever

With digital SLR cameras, image assessment on the monitor was only ever possible after the shot had been taken – until the beginning of 2006 that is. With the introduction of Live View, Olympus engineers achieved a design breakthrough; this technically innovative LCD preview function brings with it a new era of composing photos. It was premièred on the Olympus E-330, the world’s first digital SLR with Live View and full autofocus function. For the first time, D-SLR photographers could choose between looking through the eyepiece, or looking at the LCD monitor. A technically ingenious solution, partly due to the second image sensor which is located in the viewfinder’s optical path and which generates the display image; in the E-330 this technology is embedded in a clever porro viewfinder construction with a sideways-swinging quick return mirror. A new lightness of image creation was born – unfettered photography, as with a compact camera. However, the Olympus engineers did not sit back and bask in the glory of this pioneering milestone in camera technology. For the new models Olympus E-410 and E-510 a lighter and more compact solution was found which even reduced costs and hence the purchase price of the new models – despite their higher 10-megapixel resolution. In the new models the ground-breaking Live View function is performed solely via the Live MOS sensor, making a second image converter unnecessary.

Shooting from the hip. No bending over, no contortions: the swivelling display of the E-330 provides unique freedom for exceptional photographic perspectives. – Live View combines the benefits of sophisticated D-SLR photography with the convenience of clear monitor displays.

   In Live View mode the mirror swings upwards and the light hitting the sensor creates the “live image”. This term is to be taken literally because Live View displays the subject on the HyperCrystal LCD together with the brightness and colour values. For many photographers this is a dream come true: a view of the actual image result before pressing the shutter! Brightness or colour corrections can be controlled optimally via plus/minus buttons or visually using manual white balance – what you see is what you get! Assistance is provided by new functions such as the real-time histogram which shows the current contrast conditions, the reproduction of which can be influenced as required. For focusing, the mirror swings down into the optical path for a fraction of a second and the sharply focused subject appears. The professional, 100-percent monitor display allows absolutely exact picture composition. For highly accurate focusing, especially in the macro range, the monitor image can be magnified up to ten times. The AF system takes this into consideration. This means that, even for main objects with incredibly fine details, automatic fine focusing becomes child’s play with Live View. SLR technology that sets you free – creative image composition with a high-precision tool.

The two new Olympus cameras with Live View:

  

E-510

In addition, the E-510 is the first E-System camera to
provide image stabilization.

  

E-410

With the new models, monitoring can take place
live during shooting.

However, the outstanding properties of Live View can only be used to their full potential if the display is also up to the task. Olympus has further refined the already excellent monitor of the E-330. The primary objective was reproduction with the maximum possible angle independence. A tremendous 176° from all directions was achieved. It is precisely this feature combined with Live View which provides the freedom for fast overhead snapshots or spontaneous pictures from a side or deep worm’s-eye perspective. A swivelling monitor (and its operation) is no longer necessary for uncomplicated and spontaneous photography.  

Making it all possible:
the Live MOS sensor.

BRIGHTNESS CORRECTION: extreme lighting situations
require plus/minus correction. Live View conveniently shows
the corrected result before the shot is taken.

  



WHITE BALANCE: Live View shows the actual colour reproduction.
In this way, fine adjustments can be made by human eye, before taking
the shot.

 



Record-breaking 176° angle: the new HyperCrystal LCD of the E-410 and
E-510 offers unlimited insights from
all sides. This makes overhead pictures
or worm’s-eye views possible without
a swivel monitor. The LCD panel
guarantees a high-contrast display
even in sunlight.

 The new HyperCrystal LCD with 230,000 pixels and a diagonal measurement of 2.5” (6.4cm) displays the object with greater contrast even in sunlight. Its brightness was increased by 20 percent for this purpose. Even though we have concentrated here only on the two features Live View and HyperCrystal LCD (while, for example, not mentioning the new, lens-independent Image Stabilizer of the E-510), they alone demonstrate why the Olympus E-410 and E-510 not only appear as state of the art in their class. They also confirm that the Four Thirds system is the right strategy for a forward-looking camera technology. In terms of their dimensions the Olympus E-410 and E-510 constitute the most compact portfolio of standard-setting progress that digital SLR technology currently has to offer.