Olympus E3

The Olympus E-3 is a weather-sealed DSLR from 2007. Its 142 x 116 x 75 mm body weighs 890 g, so it is a camera you notice in the bag, and an optical pentaprism finder handles framing.

Its pairing of in-body stabilisation with a sealed body suits anyone who shoots outdoors, from landscapes to travel, and wants sharper handheld frames without buying stabilised lenses.

Owning one is straightforward but old-school. It records stills only and has no wireless transfer, so files move off a card reader. The battery charges in an external charger rather than over USB.

A 10.1MP Live MOS sensor sits behind the Micro 4/3 mount, with the TruePic III processor handling the output. That resolution covers prints and everyday use comfortably, though heavy cropping will run into its limits sooner than a higher-megapixel file would.

The burst rate tops out at 5fps, a maximum figure rather than a sustained-speed promise, and the 1/8000s maximum shutter speed leaves room to shoot wide apertures in bright light. Eleven autofocus points are available, though the count alone does not tell you how the system tracks in practice.

In-body stabilisation is the most useful optics feature here. Because it works at the sensor, it reduces camera shake with every lens you attach, which helps handheld shooting at slower shutter speeds. Subject movement is a separate problem; that still calls for shutter speed.

Framing happens through the optical pentaprism finder, and the ISO range runs from 100 to 3200. In dim conditions you will reach the ceiling quickly, so brighter lenses make a practical difference.

The Olympus E-3 does not record video at all. This is not a matter of a restricted movie mode with a lower resolution or frame rate; there is simply no recording mode, so no video resolution or frame rate applies.

Live view and the tilting 2.5-inch LCD exist purely for stills composition, helping you frame from positions the optical finder cannot reach. There is no built-in timelapse function either, so the camera offers no motion capture of any kind.

For anyone weighing hybrid shooting, the answer is clear: movies, clips and timelapses all require another camera body. The E-3's strengths sit entirely in stills work, from its optical pentaprism viewfinder to its sealed construction.

The modest 43/100 features score is easy to explain. The 2.5-inch LCD offers 230,000 dots and no touch control, so while it is fine for checking settings, it is small and coarse when you want to inspect focus closely.

That screen does tilt, and paired with live view it makes waist-level and overhead framing practical. A built-in flash covers casual fill light, and external flash support lets you add a dedicated unit when you need more power.

Weather sealing rounds out the outdoor appeal, guarding against dust and moisture, though it is not waterproof. There is no GPS for geotagging and no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Taken as a whole, the feature set sits around the middle of cameras in our database for Features. Connectivity is absent, but the sealed body, live view and tilting screen bring real working benefits.

Two card slots accept CompactFlash (Type I or II) and xD Picture Cards. Because the slots take different formats rather than duplicates, you can shoot whichever medium you have in stock or carry both types on a trip.

The BLM-1 battery is rated at 610 shots per charge, though the measurement conditions behind that figure are not specified here. Treat it as an indicator of capacity, not a promise for every shooting situation.

The 63/100 score here is good. Dual card slots and the rated battery life support it, while the missing USB charging leaves a small gap. Between sessions the BLM-1 battery recharges in an external charger, so a spare is worth packing for heavy days.