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Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS - 15 Frames-Per-Second?
Mar 09, 2002 08:44 PM 4031 Views
(Updated Mar 09, 2002 09:06 PM)

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INTRODUCTION


The Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS was actually loan to me during the weekend by a camera workshop late last year. It was a demo unit in his shop, and I have the privilege to get it from him just for the weekend. Anyway, he need to know more about the camera in order to sell it, so I am doing him the favor at the same time to provide him with the info he needs.


The Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS was released in the market in the fourth quarter of 2001. I was not really impressed by first note that it is just a new 1.5 megapixel resolution digital, and I am wondering why on earth did Olympus want to waste their time on yet another low resolution digital camera.


I finally know the reason when I get to know that the new Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS is capable of shooting at a fantastic speed of 15 frame-per-seconds, a speed which is not matched by any other cameras of any kind.


RESOLUTION


The Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS comes with a 1/2-inch progressive CCD, which provides a total of 1.45 effective megapixels. The highest resolution provided by the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS is 1,360 x 1,024 pixels.


For testing purposes, we did most of our test shots in this setting. Photo printout quality on our HP Plotter is as follow


1) 6x4 - Excellent


2) 10x8 – Good, still Acceptable


3) 11x14 - Okay


In Summary, the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS can produce images in the following size,


1) 1,360 x 1,024 pixels


2) 1,280 x 960 pixels


3) 1,024 x 768 pixels


4) 640 x 480 pixels


and also create movie file in the following size,


1) 640 x 480 pixels


2) 160 x 120 pixels


STORAGE


The Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS accepts SmartMedia Card as well as CompactFlash Card Type I and II, but it does not accept the higher capacity IBM Microdrive. An 8MB ComactFlash Card come with the standard package if I got the correct information from the shop.


Due to the size of high quality pictures in the highest resolution, it is advisable to get a few higher capacity cards to prevent any disappointment due to storage shortage.


Using the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS at its best, a 128 MB SmartMedia card is recommended.


BUILD


The Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS has strong and steady body. The size of the camera will give you the feeling that it is a serious stuff. In fact, it is very strongly build, and robust. I would expect it to be able to withstand shock and impact, provided not so great that the lenses cracked.


The handgrip design for the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS is ergonomically designed and shooting in any sort of position with the camera is easy and comfortable. My only complain is the size of the camera, which is rather bulky to carry around.


OPTIC


The Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS uses Olympus Optical 10x Zoom lens with Image Stabilization of focal length 7 - 70mm (35mm equivalent of 38-380mm) f2.8 – f3.5 lens.


Considering the extremely long zoom range, this is a very fast lens, and will be extremely helpful in dim light situation.


With the provision of approximately maximum of 2.7x Digital Zoom, the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS will provide a maximum zoom of 189mm (35mm equivalent of 1026mm!!!)


QUALITY TEST


To aid me with the testing of the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS, the shop owner loans me two 128 MB SmartMedia Card together with the camera to ensure I will not run out of memory.


With the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS available for my use for the weekend during my loan of the camera, I brought the camera to my house’s nearby park for testing. I remember clearly it was about 4 PM in the afternoon when I tested the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS.


A thorough study of the manual is needed to use the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS. I tried to use it without the manual at home, and seem like I am having some problem with it, considering I have numerous experiences with Olympus Digital Cameras.


Spending an hour reading through the manual together with the camera is very beneficial. All the doubts were cleared the moment I go through the manual.


Due to the amount of features provided by the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS, it is not the easier camera around to use, especially for beginner. You will need to use the camera often, and by long usage, it will become easy to manage.


The menu layout and the button layout on the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS are not the most user friendly of all, but it is still manageable by experience.


The size and shape of the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS is something which I do not appreciate that much, but considering that it is housing a pure 10x optical zoom lens, I should not be complaining.


I conducted my testing in the Program mode with the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS, with the light sensitivity set at 100. I experienced no problem with this mode, all the pictures taken with this mode is correctly exposed. The white balance setting will need to be adjust according to situation to suit the environment.


When the light sensitivity was set to ISO 400, there is a very clear sign of deterioration in picture quality, seems like there is a lot of noise in the picture. The ISO 200 is still not that bad and is more or less acceptable to my eyes. The best is still set at ISO 100. With the fast lens provided by Olympus, setting at ISO 100 will pose little problem, unless in really low light situation.


I done most of the test shot in the Multi-Pattern Digital ESP Metering provided by the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS. I do not have problem using it to achieve properly exposed pictures. Like most of the digital cameras that I have used, side lighting still proved to be a problem to the metering system.


The 10x optical zoom lens provided by Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS is a fast f2.8-3.5 lens. The zoom range is very useful. The pictures taken by the lens is very sharp and the color reproduction is excellent. The extra 2.7 digital zoom is good, but I am not going to recommend using it. It will deteriorate the picture quality if it is employed. The 10x optical zoom should be enough to cover a wide range of opportunities. Anyway, with the full zoom with digital help to over 1000mm, hand held photography is no longer a easy task.


The Image Stabilization Systems provided by the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS is excellent. Zooming at the full optical zoom, handheld is still possible in normal lighting situation.


The capability of the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS to accept external flash units is a very important feature to me. I am never convinced with direct built in flashes in anyway, being it digital or normal 35mm film camera.


The most exciting features of the Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS are its capability to shoot 15 fps. I did it a few times to see the effects with a cyclist in the park. With good lighting available, all 15 shots done in that second are all sharp and clear. Enlarging them on the computer screen further strengthen the point. There are very little differences between the fifteen shots, you will need to concentrate to note the differences, after all every pictures is only 0.07s apart.


SUMMARY


The Olympus CAMEDIA E-100RS might have only 1.5 megapixels resolution, but with its fast 15 frame-per-seconds speed, it will be an important asset to fast action photographer not available in any other cameras.


At a price of only $600 now, this 1.5 Megapixel Digital Camera can still be a great buy.


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