Olympus EVOLT E-330 Performance
Timing and Performance
Good speed for a consumer-oriented digital SLR.
| Startup/Shutdown |
||
| Power on to first shot |
2.7 seconds |
Time it takes for
camera to turn on and run SSWF |
| Shutdown |
0.2 seconds |
How long it takes
to shut down |
| Buffer clearing
time |
17 seconds (8 seconds buffer clearing in LF JPEG) |
Worst case buffer
clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you
can remove the card. Some cameras won't shut down until the buffer
is cleared. |
| Mode
switching |
||
| Play to Record, first shot |
0.2 seconds |
Time until first
shot is captured |
| Record to play |
2.6 seconds |
Time to display
a large/fine file immediately after capture |
| Display recorded image |
0.2 second |
Time to display
a large/fine file already on the memory card. |
| Shutter
response (Lag Time): |
||
| Full Autofocus |
0.37 second |
Time from fully
pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle
position. |
| Prefocused |
0.103
second |
Time
to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button. |
| Continuous
AF |
0.43
second |
This
mode usually shows no speed increase with our static subject; we have
no way to measure performance with moving subjects |
| Manual
focus |
0.35
second |
For
most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus,
but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused" |
| Cycle
time (shot to shot) |
||
| Single Shot mode Large Fine JPEG |
0.79 second; 4 frames total; 8 seconds to clear |
Time per shot, averaged
over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first |
| Single Shot mode 640x480 JPEG |
0.76 seconds |
Time per shot, averaged
over 20 shots |
| Single Shot mode Large TIFF |
0.78 second; 4 frames total; 17 seconds to clear |
Time per shot, averaged
over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first |
| Single Shot mode RAW |
0.94 second; 4 frames total; 9 seconds to clear |
Time per shot, averaged
over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first |
| Early shutter penalty? |
YES |
Some cameras refuse
to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly
in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer |
| Continuous mode Large Fine JPEG |
0.32 second (3.1
frames per second); 4 frames total; 5 seconds to clear |
Time per shot, averaged
over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first |
| Continuous mode 640x480 JPEG |
0.32 second (3.1
frames per second); 1 seconds to clear |
Time per shot, averaged
over 20 shots |
| Continuous mode Large TIFF |
0.32 second (3.1
frames per second); 4 frames total; 16 seconds to clear |
Time per shot, averaged
over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first |
| Continuous mode RAW |
0.32 second (3.1
frames per second); 4 frames total; 9 seconds to clear |
Time per shot, averaged
over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first |
| Flash recycling |
4 seconds |
Flash at maximum
output |
| Download
speed |
||
| Windows Computer,
USB 2.0 |
722 KBytes/sec |
Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-770=USB 2.0 Low; 771-4000=USB 2.0 High |
The EVOLT E-330's performance is pretty good here, though start-up time is a little slower because the camera runs the Super Sonic Wave Filter (SSWF) with each start-up. Shutter lag at wide angle zoom setting is quite good (with 14-45mm kit lens), but "prefocus" times (half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure) are a little on the slower side compared to other SLRs at 0.103 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are good, at about 0.79 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, and the camera captures four frames at this rate with an eight-second buffer clearing time. In Continuous-mode, speed is also quite good, at a bit over three frames/second, for up to four shots in succession. (Speeds were similar for TIFF and RAW continuous capture.) Flash recycling time is actually quite speedy at four seconds after a full-power shot. Connected to a computer, download speeds are fast enough to avoid needing a separate card reader, though not the fastest on the market. Bottom line, the E-330 is quite responsive, ready for fast action shots at sporting events and children's birthday parties. The E-330 may be fast enough for some wildlife shots as well, as long as you prefocus and shoot in Continuous mode (preferably at the lower resolutions for a longer sequence). Overall, good performance here.
Battery and Storage Capacity
Battery
Good battery life without live preview, mediocre with either live preview mode.
| Operating Mode | Number of Shots |
|---|---|
|
Live preview off
|
400
|
|
Live preview A mode
|
250
|
|
Live preview B mode
|
200
|
The Olympus EVOLT E-330 uses a custom rechargeable LiIon battery for power, and a battery and charger are included with the camera. Even though runtime is quite good without live preview, we strongly recommend picking up a spare battery and keeping it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings, or if live preview is used often.
The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on a fully-charged rechargeable battery), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.
(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))
Storage
The EVOLT E-330 accepts CompactFlash, Microdrive, and xD-Picture cards,
though no card is included with the camera.
| Image Capacity with 256MB Memory Card |
Fine | Normal | Basic | Economy | TIFF | RAW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3,136 x 2,352
|
Images
|
43
|
61
|
136
|
204
|
11
|
19
|
|
File Size
|
5.9 MB
|
4.2 MB
|
1.9 MB
|
1.3 MB
|
23 MB
|
13 MB
|
|
|
Comp.
|
4:1
|
5:1
|
12:1
|
18:1
|
1:1
|
0.8:1
|
|
|
2,560 x 1,920
|
Images
|
61
|
103
|
204
|
302
|
-
|
-
|
|
File Size
|
4.1 MB
|
2.5 MB
|
1.3 MB
|
846 KB
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
Comp.
|
4:1
|
6:1
|
12:1
|
17:1
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
1,600 x 1,200
|
Images
|
176
|
257
|
507
|
715
|
-
|
-
|
|
File Size
|
1.4 MB
|
993 KB
|
504 KB
|
358 KB
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
Comp.
|
4:1
|
6:1
|
11:1
|
16:1
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
1,280 x 960
|
Images
|
271
|
403
|
749
|
1124
|
-
|
-
|
|
File Size
|
944 KB
|
635 KB
|
342 KB
|
228 KB
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
Comp.
|
4:1
|
6:1
|
11:1
|
16:1
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
1,024 x 768
|
Images
|
414
|
605
|
1124
|
1573
|
-
|
-
|
|
File Size
|
618 KB
|
423 KB
|
228 KB
|
163 KB
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
Comp.
|
4:1
|
6:1
|
10:1
|
15:1
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
640 x 480
|
Images
|
983
|
1430
|
2248
|
3129
|
-
|
-
|
|
File Size
|
260 KB
|
179 KB
|
114 KB
|
82 KB
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
Comp.
|
4:1
|
5:1
|
8:1
|
11:1
|
-
|
-
|
|
We strongly recommend buying at least a 512MB card, preferably a 1GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.
 | Print this Page |
Note: For details, test results, and analysis of the many tests done with this camera, please click on the tabs at the beginning of the review or below.
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