Rob Trek Forum

Did some test shots today comparing the
2006 Olympus E-330 with 14-54mm f/2.8 lens (7.5mp 4/3rds)
2020 Olympus E-M1 Mark III with 12-40mm Pro f/2.8 lens (20mp micro 4/3rds)

I was curious what's improved in 14 years when taking a shot with ideal settings in good light.
Amazing how good things were back then or how little things have changed up to now.
I was really surprised at how there is almost no difference in the color of the jpgs.
I'll have to take some more colorful shots, as it's really only green in this shot.

Pixel Peeping Detail (SOOC jpg)


Highlight/Shadow Recovery (Raw edit in LR)

Original straight out of camera jpgs

E-M1 Mark III

E-330

I can remember my Kodak 2MP camera taking beautiful colourful photographs. Seeing these excellent Olympus E-330 photograph, it makes me wonder if we are missing something. Of course the view finders in there early days were something else.

That E330 makes me wish I kept my old L1 sometimes since they were identical on the inside except the body was a rangefinder style. It saw a lot of the world during those years. It even ended up striking up a conversation with a old WW2 vet In the Bahamas who was assigned to film the first atomic bomb dropping in a bomber. Was supposed to meet the wife at the beach and ended up talking with him for hours. A day I often think about all because he asked about that camera.

I sense from these examples that the E-M1 Mark III retains better detail than the E-330 in the highlights and shadows. The E-330 highlights look blown out. Also the E-M1 Mark III clearly has more detail in general since it has more pixels, but that would be expected.