Olympus Releases E-3 SLR

[-Cp]

Olympus today announces the new Olympus E-3, which is the flagship of its Digital SLR line and provides the high-precision performance demanded by professional and enthusiastic photographers. It combines speed and weatherproof durability for capturing exceptional images in any situation.

http://www.bootdaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=816&Itemid=59

[Jon]

Olympus today announces the new Olympus E-3, which is the flagship of its Digital SLR line and provides the high-precision performance demanded by professional and enthusiastic photographers. It combines speed and weatherproof durability for capturing exceptional images in any situation.

http://www.bootdaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=816&Itemid=59

Yawn. That camera looks to be a flop to all but the most loyal Olympus fanboys.

First, it uses a 4/3rds sensor. The 4/3rds sensor is 1/2 the size of that from a full 35mm frame camera. The smaller the sensor, the smaller the sensels at a given number of megapixels. The smaller the sensels, the lower the light capturing capacity. The lower the light capturing capacity, the more the signal needs to be amplified to reach higher sensitivities. The more the signal is amplified, the more you increase the noise (grain) in the image. In short, I'd be willing to bet that the image quality this camera produces will be better than that of a point and shoot camera, and worse than that of the lowest end Canon and Nikon camera bodies (1.6X compared to 2.0X).

Second, every other feature they tout is already offered, and in many cases bettered, by other manufacturers.

;)

[darin]

Jon should start a website reviewing cameras.