2007 has turned out to be the year of the digital SLR. Oh wait, wasn’t that last year? Whatever, the new models from Nikon, Sony, Canon, and now Olympus move us forward, establishing a solid foundation of choices. All the fancy features of years past are now (mostly) standard. Minor differences still exist: a pivoting LCD here, a better live-view feature there. But all in all, the feature selection for consumers is now pretty solid across the board. Remember 2005 when everyone but the big two were reporting huge losses in digital camera sales? Clearly these world-class competitors weren’t going to go down without a fight and the result is 2007’s attack of the DSLRs.
One benefit to this is that as the attention-getting technology begins to standardize, camera ergonomics and the overall camera system begins to assert its importance for photography (again). Here, Olympus’ new E-3 appears to deliver the features that help photographers get the shot:
* 100% viewfinder with 1.15x magnification means accurate framing and viewing of subject motion
* ISO sensitivity displayed in viewfinder
* “Minimal” shutter lag and mirror black-out
* Weathersealing: dust and splash proof
* 2.5 inch swiveling LCD
* Improved autofocus speed
Olympus is clearly looking to make good on their promise to build a responsive and competitive Four Thirds digital SLR.
From what I can see in the product photos, a potentially strong ergonomic design feature may be the location of the rear thumb wheel combined with the AF/AE button just above it. During my testing of the smaller Olympus E-510 digital SLR, I came to appreciate the ease of use offered by the top-mounted thumb control wheel. The new Olympus E-3’s rear thumb wheel and AF/AE button are recessed and located closer to the center of the camera, where you would normally rest your thumb while shooting with the camera held up to your eye. This may turn out to be a winning combination for rapid control changes when using the E-3 in rear activated autofocus mode.
As always, we await the camera’s overall picture quality with emphasis (at least mine) on the highlight transitions, color balance, and noise signature. With an estimated street price of US$1,700, the new Olympus E-3 has some tough competition. Is it too little too late? For some perhaps but for Four Thirds system and lens owners it may well be a satisfying end to the long wait they’ve endured.
John Shafer has more detail on this camera from PhotoPlus over at Photographyreview.com’s blog. We both agree that picture files from Oly cams need less post-processing work than other DSLRs. The colors and contrast is just much closer to “finished” than other mfg.’s machines.
