Box Contents
Box contents: A manual, software CDs, remote control, 2 Lithium CR-V3 batteries, one 32MB SmartMedia memory card (along with a memory case and labels), USB cable, video cable, strap, lens hood, and the camera.
The manual provided by Olympus is quite comprehensive and explains the camera’s features quite well. With such an immense amount of particulars,
the intro diagrams of the external parts of the camera include page references for further reading which is a very intuitive method of over-coming the learning curve. There is also a fairly in-depth glossary and an index that should help clear up any specific details. I took the unprecedented step of photographing one of these diagrams in the manual.
It also covers some basic photography techniques such as shooting portraits, close-ups and night shots. Even those without much digital camera experience will be able to use the controls within a short period of time. The manual does not mention, however, that the included Camedia Master 2.5 software cannot connect directly to the camera. Since the E-10 is designed to be accessed like a removable drive, this functionality with the program is more or less ignored. Here are a couple screen shots that demonstrate the problem:
This isn’t even an issue other than the fact that neither the manual nor the software docs mention this helpful tidbit of info. Now you know :] .
The software CDs include the aforementioned Camedia Master 2.5, Adobe Photoshop 5.0 Limited Edition, as well as USB drivers for Win98 and Win2000 (if needed). The software comes with its own installation guide that outlines the process step by step. It is all quite simple and straightforward.
The only letdown in the box contents is the lack of any rechargeable batteries. The included CR-V3 battery packs should last for a number of hours (3 or more), but this is only just enough time to get an idea of what the E-10 is all about and doesn’t help out over the long term. Users have several options to solve this problem: 1) continue purchasing CR-V3 or other non rechargeable batteries – this is cheap in the short term, but continues to add up over time, 2) purchase rechargeable batteries – more expensive in the short term and tend not to last quite as long as non-rechargeables, but pays off over time, or 3) purchase the optional AC adapter – only useful for indoor shooting. While purchasing these items separately isn’t too much of a problem, it would have been nice for a more long-term option to have been included in the package considering a camera in this price range is going to see a lot of use.
On the upside of the box contents is the 32MB SmartMedia memory card. This leaves one plenty of breathing room, unless you plan on taking mostly TIFF images (which, as you’ll see in the photo quality section, shouldn’t be necessary for all but the most high profile projects). But if that is the case, you will probably look into purchasing a device such as the Digital Wallet that acts like a temporary hard drive on the go.
The USB cable allows the camera to act like a removable drive which makes it accessible like an external Zip drive. This is an excellent feature the I quickly learned to love as it made it very easy to access the images wherever there happened to be a computer around.
The video cable makes it possible to view the images on a TV screen, further improving the ease at which photos can be accessed.
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