Olympus E1 SLRThe first "Four Thirds" system (almost) sees the light of day!<<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & InterfaceReview First Posted: 06/24/2003, Updated: 03/16/2004 |
Image Storage and Interface
The
E-1 stores images on CompactFlash Type I or II memory cards, and is also compatible
with the IBM MicroDrive. A range of image resolutions are available, including
2,560 x 1,920; 1,600 x 1,200; 1,280 x 960; 1,024 x 768, and 640 x 480 pixels.
File formats include uncompressed TIFF, RAW data, and two JPEG compression levels.
Through the camera's settings menu, you can specify whether a RAW image is recorded
on its own, or with a JPEG copy in addition to it.
| Resolution/Quality 128 MB Memory Card |
|
RAW | |
|
|
| 2,560 x 1,920 | Images (Avg size) |
7 16.0 MB |
12 10.7 MB |
32 4.0 MB |
100 1.28 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
0.9:1 (?) |
1.4:1 | 4:1 | 12:1 | |
| 1,600
x 1,200 pixels |
Images (Avg size) |
- | - | 87 1.5 MB |
244 524 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
- | - | 4:1 | 12:1 | |
| 1,280
x 960 pixels |
Images (Avg size) |
- | - | 950 KB |
344 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
- | - | |
|
|
| pixels |
Images (Avg size) |
- | - | 622 KB |
242 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
- | - | |
|
|
| pixels |
Images (Avg size) |
- | - | 262 KB |
113 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
- | - | |
|
|
The one thing that was odd about the E-1's file sizes is that its TIFF formatted files were actually larger than 3x the number of pixels. All I can guess is that the E-1's TIFF format must include some fairly extensive additional information in the file headers. (Pure speculation, but perhaps a moderately large JPEG preview image?)
The E-1 supports both IEEE 1394 ("FireWire") and USB 2.0 interfaces, and the camera comes with both cables. When I plugged the E-1 into my Sony VAIO Windows XP machine (Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz, 512 MB RAM), I was amazed (!) by its download speed. I clocked it at 3.04 megabytes/second, connected via the USB 2.0 interface. - Yes, that's right, over 3 megabytes per second. This makes it by far the fastest-downloading camera I've tested to date. (For reference, most USB-connected cameras max out at around 600 KB/second, with an occasional USB 2.0-compatible model hitting 1 MB/sec or slightly higher.) Obviously, to achieve these speeds, you'll need to be using a high-speed CF card. (I used a Lexar 24x WA-enabled card for these tests.)
As mentioned earlier, the E-1 also allows direct camera control from a host computer, using Olympus' new Studio software, although I haven't as yet tested this capability
Lost Images? - Download this image-recovery program so you'll have it when
you need it...
Since we're talking about memory and image storage, this would be a good time
to mention the following: I get a ton of email from readers who've lost photos
due to a corrupted memory card. It's tragic when it happens, there are few things
more precious than photo memories. Corrupted memory cards can happen with any
card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune. "Stuff happens,"
as they say. A surprising number of "lost" images can be recovered
with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software though. Given the amount
of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include this paragraph in all my digicam
reviews. The program you need is called PhotoRescue, by DataRescue SA. Read
our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now,
so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then
it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for
Windows or PhotoRescue for
Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the PDF
manual and quickstart
guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you need
it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when... PhotoRescue
is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital photos I've seen.
(Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of the product, but I'd highly
recommend the program even if we didn't.) OK, now back to our regularly
scheduled review...
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