I’m beginning to form an opinion regarding the camera’s usefulness as a photographer’s tool. True, it’s a preproduction camera, as we’ve been told a hundred times at least. In other words, the software isn’t quite ready yet, and software can have a marked impact on image quality. The camera was tested in rather less than ideal conditions - the weather was horrendous, with heavy cloud cover and rain, meaning that ISO 400 was pretty much the basic sensitivity. And in the evening, things got worse, of course - we went inside, into dimly lit areas, to try and capture some of the magic of Istanbul night life. All in all, the conditions were ideal for a really mean test of a camera that is targeted at demanding hobbyists and pros.

Image stabilization was a godsend. Olympus E-3 employs sensor-based stabilization, which, according to the PR blurb, can compensate for up to five stops of camera shake. Before that, I went through the menus just to get familiar with them and also to set the camera the way I like it. It’s very important to customize the camera according to your preferences and according to the scene you’re trying to capture. Also, for testing purposes, the settings should always be the same in order to minimize variance.

• Ultrawide Fun
  Ultrawide lenses can be a lot of fun. The digital revolution brought many good things, along with a few bad ones. The vast majority of DSLRs sold today have a sensor which is smaller than the full Leica format, which is 36 x 24 mm. This, the so-called crop factor, is all nice and well when using telephoto lenses, as the lens seems to gain in focal length. It doesn't, of course, it's just that its apparent angle of view is narrower, because only the centre of the image is used.
  
• Bigger and badder - Zuiko Digital 90-250/2.8 review
  A review of the great and hugely expensive Zuiko Digital 90-250/2.8 with loads of samples.
  
• Zuiko Digital 35-100 mm f/2.0 Review
  The Zuiko Digital 35-100 mm f/2.0 clearly shows that it's possible to produce a zoom lens with an aperture that was up to now only available in primes. This is where Olympus did the giant leap forward. But there was a price to pay. For this class, the lens is extremely large and heavy.
  
• The Story of Tatsuno
  Nestled away within the mountainous Kami-Ina region of Japan’s Nagano prefecture lies Tatsuno, a place long known for its ability to inspire with lush landscapes and a high concentration of precision industries.
  
• Olympus E-3 - first impressions
  Matjaž gets soaking wet in rainy Istanbul. He risked life, limb and a very angry missus just to see if the Olympus E-3 could take it. It could.
  
• A few shots with a production Nikon D300
  Want to see how a production Nikon D300 works on models? Well, only one way to find out. (I don't really have to tell you to click the link, do I?)