Olympus E-3 digital SLR

Just in time to go head to head with Nikon’s new D300, Olympus, at last, launched their E-3 pro level digital SLR. The specs seem to cover all the bases and it should, if not destroy, at least compare favourably to the Nikon.

Of course, that’s largely a moot point. Most camera buffs are either a “Nikon man” or an “Olympus man” or whichever manufacturer and the sheer cost of switching lens systems from one manufacturer to another is enough to put most people off. So, I don’t see this one converting any Nikon users, and let’s face it, with perhaps the exception being the auto focus speed, the two cameras are very similar.

Here’s the basic specs:

• 10.1 effective Megapixel Live MOS sensor
• FourThirds lens mount, with 2X focal length conversion ratio
• Sensor-shift image stabilization; Olympus says it can give you a five stop advantage
• World’s fastest auto focus (according to Olympus’s press release)
• Live view on a flip-out, rotating 2.5″ LCD display (with 230k pixels)
• 100% field-of-view display
• User can enlarge center of frame to verify focus
• Real-time exposure, white balance, and depth-of-field preview
• Same auto focus in live view as E-510: requires a button press and some mirror flipping
• LCD has an ambient light detector, so it brightens as needed
• Enormous optical viewfinder with 1.15x magnification and 100% field-of-view display
• Weather-sealed magnesium alloy body; durable shutter lasts for 150,000 cycles; Supersonic Wave Filter removes dust from the sensor
• Can shoot as fast as 5 frames/second for up to 16 RAW or an unlimited number of JPEGs
• Full manual controls and RAW image support (obviously)
• Built-in flash + hot shoe; can control up to three groups of wireless flashes straight out of the box
• Dual memory card slots: xD + CompactFlash Type II (with UMDA support)
• Uses the BLM-1 lithium-ion battery; 610 shots per charge (with live view off)
• Optional HLD-4 battery grip ($199) takes two BLM-1 batteries
• USB 2.0 High Speed support

Expect this to hit the stores mid November priced at $1699. It certainly looks the part, and with a mag alloy body should have a good feel too.

Here are some similar items on Amazon.com:

•  Olympus Evolt E510 10MP Digital SLR Camera
  
• Olympus Evolt E500 8MP Digital SLR
  

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