I purchased this outfit (E-510 plus two kit lenses) not because it's "best in class" (it isn't), but because it seemed the best value in what I was looking for (I concentrate on landscapes, vacations, people; I do not concentrate on sports or formal portraiture). The price for this outfit shrunk from $1,000 to $620 in less than a year and a half. With Olympus introducing the tweaked E-520, the 510 became old hat. An example of excellent (but no longer state of the art) technology deeply discounted.

As for the camera itself, these are its noteworthy attributes that might not be apparent at first study of the specs:

A) On body (as opposed to on lens) image stabilization. Take a look at lens prices for Nikon or Canon and compare to Olympus' Zuiko equivalents. Nikon and Canon boast on lens stabilization - at a premium price.

B) High reviews for the optical quality of these kit lenses - at virtually every aperture setting. They're remarkably lightweight too.

C) Four-Thirds sensor functionally doubles the 35mm equivalent zoom factor of the lenses. Thus the 150mm kit lens magnifies to 300mm equivalent - about 8x zoom.

D) Relatively lightweight but ergonomically friendly.

E) Overall picture quality at various settings - really really good!

Work Arounds:

A) Noise reduction and sharpness default settings not so good. I prefer the results with the noise filter on "low" and sharpness on "minus one".

B) Speed: If freezing sport or fast action is important to you, look elsewhere. ISO is best at 100 - 200. Just fine through 400. Beyond 400 to 800 is just OK - too much granularity for my liking. Above 800 - forget it - noise is obvious.

C) Only downside of the kit lenses are their maximum apertures of f3.5 and f4.0. (Would really like a f2.8.) However, pretty typical in this class.

D) Built in flash is what you'd expect for this level camera - adequate at best. Consider springing for the Olympus FL-36 - I wouldn't travel without it!

All told - I'm very happy with this camera, especially at this price!

This camera does all the description says and more. If you are looking for your first DSLR, and are shopping around, stop now and purchase this camera. I considered waiting for the 520, but the only new features I noticed on the mfg. page were "redesigned controls for people with certain types of color blindness" and the ability to remotely control flash units, neither of which I require.

The photos I have taken over the last few weeks with this camera have more than justified the cost, and I am glad I didn't lose those photo opportunities by continuing to shop around and compare cameras.

The 510 takes amazing photos straight out of the box when set to Auto, and Manual shooting can be done with individual features, such as only the aperture setting being controlled manually, while the focus and ISO are controlled automatically, or the exposure can be controlled manually, with the aperture controlled automatically. By working with only one variable at a time, learning to shoot with manual settings is fun and easy.

If you are uncertain about the 4/3rds format, be aware that this format is actually closer to standard print sizes, such as 8x10, than the standard format most digital cameras use. You do not have to worry about having shots with odd looking aspect ratios.

The kit lenses are more than adequate, with the 150mm being great for wildlife photography. Using the image stabilization feature, telephoto shots of the moon in which craters are clearly visible can be taken without a tripod.

Astrophotographers will like the option to leave the shutter open for 60 seconds, or up to 8 minutes with the optional remote control.

I have no negatives to report for this camera. I suggest purchasing a starter filter kit such as this Hoya 58mm Introductory Filter Kit, UV, Circular Polarizer, 81A and Filter Wallet, or at least a U/V filter for each lens if for no other purpose than to protect it. No extra battery should be required. After four weeks and hundreds of photos, I have only charged my battery once.

For some examples of E-500 series photos, check out the Flickr group at http://www.flickr.com/groups/olympus_e500/

This is an excillent camera(so underrated) and I also use a Nikon D-80, Fuji s100fs.

The lenses are the only ones I am aware of that get updates by themselves over the internet with Olympus software. Features that are too numerous to list but the pictures are pristine. Any talk of lower dynamic range just do not show from my wildlife pictures and I have taken a lot for years. Started with an E-300 loved so much > E-500 loved even more and the bargain of all time the E-510. Build perfect quality and you know when holding. The lenses are not cheap but the 18-180mm may be the last lens you ever buy! Just a beautiful camera for almost "point and shoot" cash. Go for it!

What it is: A great digital SLR body with 2 excellent lenses at a good price from Amazon. Light but solid construction. Quality kit lenses. Great feature set including a decent 'auto' mode all the way to full manual operation. Super battery life - my first charge lasted over 5 shooting sessions of around 100 photos each. I didn't run the battery until it completely died either - I just didn't want to push my luck. :)

I'm transitioning from a fairly good point-and-shoot camera to a digital SLR. I wanted a camera that would give me more control but I was a bit concerned at the potential complexity of digital SLRs. The Olympus e510 provides a good tool for learning better photography at my own pace. I've moved from relying on the 'auto' mode to using the manual settings much more often and have taken some really good shots that were simply not possible with my other cameras. Like many others I looked at Canon and Nikon before making my purchase and have no disappointment at choosing the Olympus.

What it isn't: Despite the "live view" feature, the Olympus e510 is not a point-and-shoot camera. If you're transitioning from the point-and-shoot world and expect to be able to use the view screen on the camera for composing all your shots you will likely be disappointed. Reviews of the camera do point this out so I was aware of this before making the purchase.

Other reviews point out that the 510 does experience some difficulty focusing in low light situations. I have found this to be true when shooting in full auto mode, especially with the 40-150mm lens. You can overcome this "issue" by learning to use some of the more advanced features of the camera.

Bottom line: If you are looking to make a transition from the point-and-shoot world to digital SLR photography, the Olympus e510 shouldn't disappoint. The 510 pairs excellent kit lenses with a quality camera body with a wide array of features. I am very pleased with the Olympus e510.

I've had this about a month, taken it on one trip to Baja California, and shot perhaps 2,000 exposures total. Good image quality and metering. I lugged 35mm SLR's for decades and switched to point-&-shoots 15 years ago but finally succumbed to the removable lens/TTL viewing desire. My chief complaint about this camera is that it is heavy -- not a heavy as most of its competitors, but still heavy. Also the 14~42mm seems overly large, it is almost as big as the 40~150mm telephoto

Like all DSLR's, the e510 has huge number of control options you can fiddle with, and there is a learning curve to climb (and forget if you don't use the camera constantly). However, the "AUTO" defaults work well in most situations, and it isn't too difficult to learn to set the defaults to your taste for apeture and shutter priority modes.

The e-510's image stabilization does a fair job of compensating for your shaky hand, but even it couldn't stop the blur when trying to handhold the telephoto at it's maximum 150mm (300mm 35mm equivalent) range. Plan on finding something solid to rest the camera against.

One note on Olympus' 4:3 aspect ratio sensor. What it means is that for any given pixel count the Olympus gives you a few more vertical pixels but fewer horizontal ones than a 3:2 ratio sensor like most other DSLRs use. Whether this is important depends on your composing preferences. Since I end up cropping almost everything I print it makes little difference to me.

Unless you already have money tied up in lenses from another maker you want to use I highly recommend this camera.

This is my second DSLR camera and it is a wonderful piece of photographic equipment with lots of features. I found it difficult to learn everything that one can do with this camera from just reading the instruction manual and fumbling with the controls. I have had the camera a couple of months and have just purchased the 80 minute DVD video "Jump Start Guides to Olympus Evolt E-510". After reading several email information and update letters from Olympus, I felt that I was missing camera use information. This DVD was not available from Amazon, but can be purchased at the Olympus Store. It should be supplied with purchase of the camera as it explains and instructs about features and functions that one can easily miss by just reading the instruction manual. The DVD is very well done and well worth the price. Even experienced photographers can benefit from viewing this E510 DVD.

I looked at a lot of reviews before deciding on this camera. One factor was that I have a few 'legacy lenses' from my traditional 35mm film camera that I wanted to be able to use. I have an old Konica lens that I can mod to fit, and can't wait to try it. They do also make several adapters so you can use the older lenses, in either manual or aperture priority (which I'd guess the former would be why many would turn to a DSLR instead of a higher end P&S in the first place).

I like the way the controls are set up (I had an older Olympus digital camera, and my last one was a Fuji Finepix s3100 which both were good at what they did - but I wanted more control over exposure). It did not take long to get used to the controls, maybe because I've had other cameras that were similar in set up, but it feels 'natural' to me now, and it didn't take long. There are many things you can adjust to your liking, and you really should read the manual to get the most out of the camera. I tried to dive in head first without reading it first, but there is so much that you can do with this camera, that you really should read it before you go testing it out, as it will make more sense and what you can do with it.

I tweaked some of the settings (for noise and IS and such - you can even customize some minor things - wheel direction and some other things) and could not be happier with the results. After taking a couple of days to 'play around' with the settings, and to get a feel for it, I am perfectly content with this camera.

I also think the feel in-hand is also very nice. It is neither too small (I've heard complaints of other Olympus models being too small for comfort) nor is it too heavy. The body size is maybe half an inch smaller than my 35mm, which is really not that much of a difference to me. The hand grip is also a good size, and the buttons you might need most often are within easy reach. I have medium-smallish hands, and it does not feel too big or awkward for me. I think with medium to large hands you could reach all of them (the AEL/AFL, IS and the live view) without looking/holding it differently. The ones I need more often are all within easy reach. I think the hand grip is a size that would fit a larger range of hand size, as this one is a bit longer than the E-400 series that I've seen, so I think the change in size/grip may have been a result of feedback from earlier models that were reported to be too cramped.

It is a great camera, and you can't even find 'live view' on comparable cameras, which I admit I haven't really used, but it comes in handy for low light focusing, and making sure you have your focus where you want it for critical images.

It's got great options and the quality you get for the price can't be beat.

Having had several 35mm Olympus OM cameras I know Olympus quality and "thinking" well. This is not a "me too" company. I'd been holding off on a digital SLR because the others I'd tried were big, awkward and a bit too gadgety. The four thirds concept is brilliant. It's a clean sheet-designed for digital-format, not adapted from 35mm format.

Why everyone is trying to emulate the 35mm format beats me. It was an odd format in film (it's based on movie film stock) and old thinking. It makes for big digital SLR's and lenses.

This may sound like a trivial point but this is a camera meant to be held. The grip and balance are near perfect. It feels like a thick OM. Bravo, Olympus.

The JPEG quality is excellent by default and better with fiddling with the settings. The images don't have that digital processed look. There's no problems at all with RAW and Adobe. It converts well.

The popup flash is as good or as bad as the others, depending on your perspective. None pop up high enough to not cast a shadow of the lens up close and all are a bit harsh. Cobble up a diffuser to spread the light and all is well.

The menus system is simple and direct. No need to dive into the manual to figure out what obscure lingo and icons mean.

Live view works and works best for tripod work. It's rough going holding any SLR away from your face due to the weight. Manual focus with the enlarged view is a great idea.

Overall, a fine camera with excellent kit lenses. If I had to nitpick I'd say the battery charger is absurdly slow and clunky. Come on Olympus, you can do better. Chargers should charge in less than 5 hours and plug directly into the wall. The Master 2 software is also pretty primitive. Then again, if you have a dSLR you probably have better software already. (If not, get Photoshop Elements, at the very least.) It's major strength is it's ability to easily update the camera system firmware.

There are many good reasons for buying this camera:

* Price - This camera body with the two-lens kit costs the same or less than other digital SLR cameras with just one lens or no lenses, yet offers the same or better resolution.

* Included Lenses - Both kit lenses included with this camera are very sharp, giving a good range of focal lengths. The Olympus 50mm macro lens designed for this camera and sold separately continues to receive rave reviews from users. There are also many reasonably-priced third-party lenses that will work with this camera.

* Image Stabilization Built Into the Camera Body - With other digital SLR brands you must pay for image stabilization every time you buy another lens or do without this feature.

* Light Weight - Although this camera is comfortable to hold, the body and lenses weigh less and are smaller than most other digital SLR brands with the same resolution.

* Accessories - Olympus and third-party suppliers offer a rich selection of accessories such as external flash, infrared remote control, rechargeable batteries, lens filters and memory cards.

* Speed - The camera is ready to use in about one-half second from a cold start. In good light, there is virtually no shutter lag and the camera can shoot several frames per second to follow action.

* Battery Life - Even shooting flash photos the camera's fully-charged battery is good for hundreds of shots.

* Dual Memory Cards - With a high-capacity CF and xD card, it's possible to have 10GB of removable solid state memory inside the camera.

* LCD Display - You can view the actual sensor image on the LCD display. While displaying photos on the LCD that you have already taken, you can rotate the camera and the images automatically remain upright. I have not seen those two features on any other brand of digital SLR.

* The July 2008 issue of Consumer Reports gave this camera its "Quick Pick" and a top overall score among basic SLRs, yet this model was priced less than most other cameras they tested.

There may also be three reasons for not buying this camera:

* Lens Mounts - A pro who constantly changes lenses may feel that metal lens mounts are more durable than the polycarbonate mounts that this camera uses, though the Olympus mounts should be durable enough for most amateurs.

* Existing Lenses - A serious photographer who owns a collection of 35mm lenses that fit another brand might want to consider a camera of the same brand with a full-size sensor. However, such a camera would be much larger, heavier and a great deal more expensive.

* A newer model of this camera, the E-520, has been introduced and is available at a higher cost. Among other improvements, it has a larger, brighter LCD screen, face recognition technology and the ability to automatically detect too much contrast and soften shadows.

I have been taking prize-winning pictures with single-lens-reflex cameras for money and fun for nearly 40 years, but they've all used film. After years of shopping, this was the first digital SLR that I believed would meet my needs and still be affordable. I have not been disappointed with my choice. Pictures from it are razor sharp with good color balance. You can spend a lot more for a digital SLR, but I don't believe that you can get more for your money.

Have you narrowed your choice down to a couple of camera yet? It took me about 4 months to get that far. So I'm writing this to help ease the tortoured minds that are like my own, and research to death what camera to buy.

A few things to note about the Olympus E-510. Right out of the box, the camera is going to take better pictures than that 5 megapixil point and shoot you are thinking of advancing from. I like RAZOR sharp pictures. The pictures you get with this camera are modestly sharp, but I usually run my pics through PICASA or ACDSee and hit the sharpen button once or twice. I have compared pictures from all the available cameras in this price range. Nikon D40, D40X, Canon Xti, Pentax K10D and K100Super. After all the research I went to buy the Pentax K10D and came home with the Olympus E-510.

When you hold the camera, use the controls, and explore all the setting options, you can't help but love the camera. The built in Image Stabilization and live view pushed me over the edge to buy.

Strong Points:

1) I use the live view more for tripod work with wildlife in by back yard; and frequently for setting the white balance, then shooting normally. I really like that option.

2) When I considered the Xti and the lens I wanted, it was almost twice the price of the E-510. I considered the Pentax K100Super, but didn't want to go back to AA battery thing again. An option if you are on a really tight budget. The K10D? I found the controls, and speed it took to change them on the K10D its downfall, though a rugged camera and still a good choice if you are leaning in that direction, again I went to the store to buy this camera.

3) ISO 1600; the camera takes good natural light pictures with ISO 800 and 1600. A couple sample pictures were taken that way. I'm impressed.

4) Most complaints about this camera are about focusing. I have not experienced any "hunting" with focusing, but rather some dark conditions with little contrast will make the built in flash strobe for up to 5 seconds prior to locking and shooting. I don't consider it a problem, but rather how my camera works. I accept it, its rare. I would not buy a different camera based on this.

5) Under or over exposure. This is probably my only complaint about the camera. I find myself using the exposure compensation when shooting indoor flash photos when the subject is more than 10 feet away. I don't understand why they cant program the camera to increase the exposure compensation when the subject focused at a distance, or the lens is zoomed. The data is collected by the camera, why don't they use it so I don't have to compensate for it? If I forget to compensate, the pictures are never lost to quality, I just have to tweak them in Picasa or some other photo program.

6) Image Stabilization. In the bleachers of the gym at my local school, I can turn to ISO 1600, turn on the IS, full out zoom and still get a nice shot at 1/30th. It's the real deal. No complaints.

7) Image quality. The details with noise filter off, the color and the sharpness are wonderful. The dynamic range is the same as the Pentax K10. White whites and black blacks is the issue here. I like BRIGHT and slightly over saturated pictures, which means I tend to over expose them in the photo programs. You will notice you clip the whites out when you do this, but no worse than any other manufacturer when comparing photos all over PBASE.

8). SSWF. The dust buster in this camera works. Didn't buy it for this, but it's a bonus.

9) I never use the scene modes. If you are inexperienced, you may want to use these options. I bought the camera because I loved film in the 1980's and wanted to get back to a SLR. I like shooting with spot metering and spot focusing, by sticking it right on the center of some ones nose, then dropping down to frame my shot. I like taking a picture across a gym filled with kids, not knowing which one is my kid, but getting a clean shot that can be cropped into what I wanted. If this is the fun you expect to have, you will be happy.

Sometimes a full kit package with two lenses for under 700 bucks really is a deal, and a great camera. I would buy again. Have fun.

Update Dec 2008: Still happy with my purchase, about a year or more out. No problems with the camera. Firmware upgrades are offered from time to time. My only complaint (inherant to most digital SLR's) is the dynamic range compared to film of years past. Whites are bleached out in outdoor pictures in sunlight or black dogs are two dark, then whites are bleached out when compensated. The 520 has shadow compensation in camera, I suspect this helps compensate. With newer models out, the 510 package has become an even better value.