I have had the E330 for about 1 month now and couldn't be happier. I looked very closely at the Canon 30D, the Nikon D50 and the Olympus E500. I am really happy I went with the E330. While there is no such thing as a perfect camera, I have found that this one in particular fits my needs and caters to my more creative side with the live view articulated view finder. The Live A and B modes really open a lot of doors that other cameras in its class do not allow. Although it does't look as traditional as the others, the style had grown on me. I opted to get the body only so that I could upgrade the lens to a 14-54mm Zukio which is a wonderful all around lens. I find that the camera feels very good in my hands, although the D50 also had a great feel to it. It is very responsive and handles most situations well. I like to do street photography and the live view articulating lens allows for the taking of pictures without being too obvious. The low light performance is pretty good compared to the other olympus digital SLR with its new sensor, but is still not as good as either the 30D or the D50. This may change however when Lecia releases its 4/3rds mount image stabilized lens which is supposed to be compatible with the Olympus lineup. While I am new to digital SLRs, I consider myself to be a photography enthusiast. I started out with a Sony S85 which was a wonderful camera in many ways, but I have to say I am having a wonderful time learning about a whole new realm of photography with the E330. I highly recommend a good look at this camera if you are looking to get into digital SLRs as it serves not only as a nice crossover camera, but as a midline intermediate SLR that will keep you wanting to get even more creative with your photographic hobby.

This is my first digital reflex. I had also looked at the canon 350xt, nikon d50/70, sony R1, but made the choice based on the unique Live View feature and image quality. No other dslr lets you frame using the lcd screen, which I find really useful in lots of shooting situations. The image quality is superb, easily outresolving my previous sony 828, with much faster autofocus and low noise. The colors just pop out of the screen. I can send my pics directly to print without doing any post processing.
I had almost decided on the Sony R1, but it wasn?t as flexible (lacked an optical viewfinder and ability to change lenses)To me is the best of both worlds, digicams (rotating lcd, live framing) and dsrls (optical viewfinder, AF speed, low noise, lenses)
Highly recommended!

I found all the features as described, and very easy to use. Unfortunately, the lens is not so impressive. The macro end can't focus close enough to take a decent nature shot, and the telephoto end is much too weak. I haven't found a source with actual Zuiko lenses in town, and I won't buy another lens without trying it out, so at the moment the camera is pretty limited for me.

With about 30 years of picture taking experience and many pro shoots behind me I went shopping for a new DSLR. I wanted one to serve as an all-around pal and be loaded with pro features that I am accustomed to using. When this camera hit the market I knew I had to try one on for size...especially since no other DSLR has live LCD compositing of frames.

All I can say is this camera has put all of my other 6 cameras in the closet (three of them were film.) Sharp images, easy composition in a giant, bright 2 1/2 LCD screen and ease of use won me over. If you want a simple interface with outstanding pictures you can have it here. If you want the touch of manual adjustment and light handling, ditto.

It is the best camera, all around, that I have ever used or owned. And now the prices are coming down! So what's stopping you?

This is my first Digital camera and I am really crazy about it's LIVE view feature plus the ability to use it also as a DSLR. I like the way it looks with it's flat top design. It feels solid in my hands and does not have that plastic feel to it at all. A steel body covered in a high-impact polycarbonate plastic. A really good looking camera that handles like a dream. With it's articulating LCD screen combined with Live View street photography is easy since you can use the screen as a waist level finder or at 45 degrees or at straight on viewing. It also takes interchangeable lenses . I bought the camera with the two lens kit comprised of the 14-45 and the 40-150 olympus lenses.So far, I love the 40-150 lens for its excellent sharpness and contrast at the aperture of f11 when using a tripod with self timer and am still testing the 14-45 lens to find its optimum sharpness at a particular f stop. Sharpness and Contrast levels can be set by the camera but for now I have'nt tried those settings yet. The camera can also be set for Vivid,Sepia, Black and white with different Black and White filter simulations. For now I am delighted with the performance of this camera system and the 40-150. Right now I'm still testing the camera, and the sharpness of it's lenses without filters but it looks like the 40-150 definitely is the real beauty of the two. I want to try it with a Polarizer and also try it out with an enhancing filter. So far I Love what it can do.But then again I've only made 6.5 x 9.5 prints and rarely make them above that size and am more than pleased with the performance of the 40-150 so far. Will update this review as I get to know the camera and the other 14-45 lens better.

I am extremely pleased with this camera. It is my third Olympus camera and I have not been dissapotnted yet. I carried a Nikon for years. The live dispyay is outstanting with its flip out screen to allow for belt level candid shooting or holding the camera above heads in crowds. The 4/3s intigrated system (lens, camera and an external dedicated flash) makes beautiful photographs easy. I also purchased a Zuiko 14-54 mm zoom for this camera in order to have a sharper and faster lens when needed, but I find myself more often than not, mounting the 18-180 super zoom. It produces a beautiful picture and I am spoiled by its versitile range.
I would certainly reccomend this camera to anyone who is serious about beautiful photographs. Olympus has been ahead of the pack in affordable digital cameras and the E-330 is no exception.

I have the 14-54 mm lens attached to the camera, and using my E1 as the second body with the 50 mm lens. Amazed me how fast the camera is and colors are beautiful and full of life, the well known Olympus colors. I only wish it is a weather sealed camera like the E1. Get the E330 now, Olympus is not working in an immediate sucessor to the E3xx serie, since they are launching the E410 and E510, both of them lack the articulated screen, which are less user friendly when you work with the live view, you have to possition the E-410 and E-510 camera to eye level. The E330 is a great camera, and is selling with a great price now, if your pasion is photography, please make you a favor get the E330.

What a great little machine this is and the live view flip out LCD is excellent. Just love the olympus colors.

When used with the 14-54 and 50-200 lenses, this camera is pro quality.

The Olympus E-330 may well come to be seen as a classic DSLR. Good resolution and image quality. In addition to the optical view finder, there is a live view viewfinder displayed on the LCD by a small secondary CCD sensor AND a live view Mode B setting that gives live view right off the main camera sensor--perfect for macro work and determining infinity focus of old 35mm lenses. Fast focus and reliable exposures in a variety of light levels, including low light that usually foils my Olympus C-8080. The dust removal system is generally said to be better than competitors. I've changed lenses infrequently and am careful about possible dust. So far, I have had no dust problems at all.

I bought two E-330's and keep an 11-22mm Oly Digital lens on one and use the other for changing to various other lenses--various legacy lenses, a 14-54mm and a remarkably good (old version) 40-150mm kit lens. Build quality is excellent and durable with appropriate care. With careful post processing of images, I can get prints that rivial or exceed the stunning images I've gotten from my Olympus C-8080. The E-330, being a DSLR, allows the use of a far greater range of fine lenses made by Olympus and the 4/3 mount lenses offered by Sigma.

The last of the E-330's are currently in the pipeline and going for firesale prices--Cameta Camera seeming to offer the best deals at the moment.

This is by FAR the best online seller I've EVER dealt with. These guys were there to help me every step of the way and I eventually went back to them and bought a bunch of accessories and an additional lense. Enzo is the best sales rep ever! If you deal with Cameta Camera, ask for him!

Good luck with all your buying ventures, it was a pleasure!

Oh yeah, the camera is perfect too, lol! A LOT to learn, but well WELL worth the price.

I have an Olympus E-1 for a couple years. Wonderful camera with excellent built and image quality but lack a built-in flash. Then noticed this E-330 has an amazing price drop recently, so I cannot resist and bought one. I was worried that it is too small for my hand because I like a bigger camera. When I received the camera I felt it to be a perfect fit to my hand. Doesn't like the Nikon D40X and Canon XTi that my pinkie hanging freely under the camera. Built quality is great. I love the Live-view and the built-in flash. An extra bonus is you can attach an external flash unit and can still use the built-in flash together. It is a great feature if you like to use bounce flash. The results are just beautiful. I think the E330 is a perfect match with the E-1. They cannot replace for one an other. I enjoy both.
The E-330 is a wonderful camera to own. With the recent price drop, it is a super buy. Get one before it's too lae!

This is my first SLR, and am happy with the purchase. Note that the Zuiko lens collection is somewhat limited and therefore are sold at premium prices compared to more established brands (Canon, Nikon). If basic camera will do, this is fine for a starters.

A new camera won't make you a better photographer, but taking more pictures might, and that's where the E-330 shines. It's rewarding to use and the tilting LCD with live view encourages experimentation.
The E-330 feels solid and all the buttons are well-placed. Image quality is generally excellent, although there are better cameras for low-light, flashless photography. Focus, frame rate and overall performance is plenty fast for action at my son's soccer games, but USB file transfer is slow so get an external card reader.
Do not underestimate the usefulness of dual-mode live view on a tilting LCD. You won't think it's a gimmick once you have it. Also, the E-330's built-in flash can be used for fill-in with a shoe-mounted flash; another feature that's proven to be much more useful than expected.

I have owned my E330 for six months, and I am more impressed all the time. Its best features:
1. Excellent photographic output, especially when set on ISO100 and shooting RAW. The colors are very natural, not garish and overdone as on some other DSLRs.
2. The hinged viewfinder is great because you can place the camera on low platforms or other odd places and easily compose.
3. Live view is also a great composition tool. On a tripod, Live View B lets you use the camera like a mini view camera.
4. With an adapter, you can mount hundreds of older manual focus lenses, and live view B lets you focus precisely.

One hint: skip the 14-45 mm lens. It was a bit too compromised. Spend more and buy the 14-54 instead. However, the old version of the 40-150 lens is very nice, and an incredible bargain at the current price of about $100.

I had been shooting with this camera for 6 months now and it has served me well. I use it to shoot canned stuff as well as professional events and portraits. As long as you know a little about shooting, you can set the settings to get awesome shots. The basic lens are alright, but if you want to go pro you need to get better lenses and an external flash. I've been using an Olympus 1.4X teleconverter with a 14-54mm lens and got great results. The LCD with live view is a great little touch to the camera. Like any SLR cameras out there, you won't be satisfied unless you get some better quality lenses and an external flash to get the most use out of your SLR camera. Now I have put this camera to good use,I am upgrading to a E-510 and also just bought a 18-180mm lens and can't wait to use them. If you like to take pictures like canned stuff, then this would be a great camera for that and something to get you away from the point and shoot cameras that always causes red eyes in pictures.

This is the second E-330 I've bought. I take underwater pictures with the camera in an Ikelite housing. I have the 14-54 Zuiko lens and have had no trouble with the camera. Live view mode "A" is great for quick moving underwater creatures. I get to use the LCD to frame my shot instead of trying to look through the veiwfinder with my mask on. The newer models have not had mode "A" and so are not as useful to me. The Ike housing is expensive so I decided to get a second E-330 body to extend its useful life.

The only negative that I've run into may be due to the lens and not the camera. I started my underwater picture taking career with the C-5050 which has a very bright lens and will lock focus (not always on what you want) in very low light conditions. The set-up I have with the E-330 often does not focus in cloudy or dark water (not enough contrast).

I'll be using this combination for as long as the cameras and housing hold up - hopefully a long, long time.

I'm shooting (good) pictures since 1985 when I bought my two Contaxes and a bunch of Calr Zeiss and Yashica lenses. Most of my pictures captured in diapositive films and the camera sets were in Aperture Priority mode. My Contaxes are still here and ready to shoot (but where all the images gone?).
But this is another story. From the old ages???!!! I remember that I was admiring the Olympus cameras for their small dimensions OM series), their excellent construction (OM -4 titanium), and their versatility (see the high speed captures with their dedicated flashes.
In the digital age the Oly C5050Z lands into my hands, and her qualities (construction, easy of use, image clearness, luminosity of the lens) won me at once. But I wanted something faster, to be able to captures motorcycle races, like the old days with my manual focused Contaxes. Then came the E 330 which I bought it fron Digital Depot (UK) with the 14-45 Zuiko in a good price. May be is strange but I was attracted of her shape and her price of course. The camera is well fitted in someone hands and everything is close to the fingers. The body (plastic) has its own quality (very good) and for the capturing speed I have to say that I'm completely satisfied (I'm an amateur). Images are sharp and close to filmlike but only till the ASA setting is to 800. Beyond this climax images are really noisy. Autofocus is acceptable when light is enough, but for more accuracy Live View and the enlargement mode is always on the backside of the camera, ready to help (and really does it well).
So to be honest and a good judge.. I've paid 260 GBP for body and lens at a time when Canon and Nikon and even Pentax demanded a lot more. I bought a unique body with lovely design, with rugged construction (even plastic made out shell), quality feeling, versatile use (programs), Live View mode, and supersonic feature for the dust (really no problem at all). I took many shots in a light rain without any protection and the camera is still working well.
Today I have also my Contaxes, the C5050z, the E330 and recently I bought a used E1 from e-bay at a good price. The only thing that is missing is TIME, because as I live in Greece I have the good weather in my site.

Pros:
Excellent construction and handling (for the money to pay for in nowadays).
Lovely design (for me).
Well balanced colors and natural chroma.
A lot of pre-scene modes, in which one can find everything.
Ready to shoot in just two seconds and keep shooting.

Cons:
The battery lower door. Its toy-made and you have to handle it very carefully. A little bit the same for the card door.
I was not able yet why the back screen was a lot bigger than the image in view. But the screen is crisp and very clear.
Except the noise that appears beyond 800 ASA all the rest looks very good to me.