Olympus Digital SLR Cameras

One thing's for sure about the Olympus digital SLR cameras: they're ground-breaking.

What follows is a list of "firsts" associated with the Olympus digital SLR line:

First to adopt the 4/3 system (see below)
First to include dust-resistant sensors
First to include live-view LCD screens

With dust control and live view nailed down, the only missing feature from these cameras was image stabilization. Well, that's certainly not true anymore.

The Four Thirds System

All Olympus digital SLR cameras use what's called a Four Thirds system, and this describes both the sensor (it is neither a CCD nor a CMOS sensor) as well as the connection from camera to lens (called the lens mount).

What's the big deal about this?

First, it is an attempt to move away from a lot of specialized digital SLR lenses toward a standard.

Today, if you get a Canon camera and a lens to go with it, that lens won't work with your Nikon camera. You've got to buy a separate lens for it.

But with the Four Thirds system, any digital camera that follows the standard can use any Four Thirds lens.

This means that you can use the same Four Thirds lens on digital SLR cameras made by different manufacturers. For example, you could take your Four Thirds lens and attach it to either an Olympus or a Panasonic camera since they both follow the standard.

The Four Thirds sensor is smaller than other digital SLR sensors, which provides two advantages:

The camera is very quiet because of a smaller mirror in front of the sensor.
Four Thirds lenses are smaller and lighter because they don't have to light up a huge surface area. The 4/3 sensor is about half the size of a 35mm negative. While this doesn't mean that 4/3 lenses are half the size and weight of regular lenses, it helps.

Drawbacks of the Four Thirds System

Adopting a new standard never comes without a few drawbacks, and there are certainly some to be aware of before you buy an Olympus digital SLR:

Old Olympus lenses aren't 100% compatible - since the Four Thirds system uses a new mounting system, old Zuiko lenses won't attach directly to the camera. If you have old Olympus lenses, you'll need to get a MF-1 OM Adaptor, which limits the functionality of the lens (e.g. manual focus only).
There aren't many lenses - all of the Four Thirds lenses have to be developed brand new for any camera that uses the 4/3 system. While the number of new Four Thirds lenses grows constantly, there aren't quite as many to choose from as there are for cameras made by Canon, Nikon and Pentax.
The standard may not be adopted - it's anybody's guess whether or not Four Thirds is here to stay. If other camera makers don't buy into it, then there's not much advantage to a standardized system of lenses.

The E-330 and Live Preview

In 2006, Olympus announced the follow-up to their EVOLT E-300 digital SLR, and the new camera was a first.

The EVOLT E-330 was the first digital SLR camera to display a live preview of the image you are about to take on the LCD.

While this functionality is common on compact digital cameras, it is not on digital SLRs.

Digital SLR cameras use mirrors to reflect the image captured byt the lens up to the viewfinder. This system of mirrors (called a pentaprism) poses a technical challenge when it comes to the live LCD preview.

The E-330 leaped this technical hurdle and is not only the first Olympus digital SLR with live preview, but the first from any manufacturer.

The Latest Olympus Digital SLR Cameras

Olympus E-620

Release Date: May 2009
Key Features	12 megapixels, dust control, image stabilization, live view, compact and light
Uniqueness	Flip out and twist LCD
Great For	High and Low angles
Level	Intermediate to advanced
Competitors	Canon Rebel XSi, Nikon D90
The E-620 sits squarely between the E-520 and the more advanced E-30. It packs many of the features of the E-30 (including dust control, image stabilization, live view and Art Filters) into a camera that's more the size of the E-420. A special bonus for photographers who enjoy high and low-angle photography is an articulated LCD screen that flips out from the camera body and can be viewed from a variety of angles.
Price (With Lens): $550 USD

Olympus E-30

Release Date: January 2009
Key Features	12 megapixels, dust control, image stabilization, live view
Uniqueness	Art filters
Great For	Creative photography
Level	Intermediate to Advanced
Competitors	Canon Rebel XSi, Nikon D90, Pentax K20D, Sony DSLR-A300
The E-30 is the first Olympus digital SLR to include Art Filters: creative effects that can be applied to images without the need for editing software. The E-30 also includes a great feature for architecture and landscape photographers: a digital level display that appears in the camera's viewfinder and on the LCD. These two features are rounded out with dust control, built-in image stabilization and a live view LCD that flips out from the camera body.
Price (With Lens): $850 USD

Olympus E-5

Release Date: October 2010
Key Features	12.3 megapixels, built-in image stabilization, weather resistant, flexible LCD
Uniqueness	Weatherproofing
Great For	Outdoor photography
Level	Intermediate to Advanced
Competitors	Canon T2i, Nikon D7000
The E-5 is the successor to the E-3 — a camera designed with the semi-professional photographer in mind. You can capture High Definition 720p video using the camera's flexible 3 inch LCD screen or you can capture stills using the fast 11-point autofocus paired with its 5 photo-per-second continuous drive. Those who travel with their camera will appreciate the weather sealing that locks out moisture and the dust control system that keeps the sensor clean when lenses are changed.
Price (No Lens): $1,700 USD

Discontinued Olympus Digital SLRs

The cameras that you see above would not be possible without the ones below.

These cameras can no longer be purchased new, but you might be able to get one at a good price on the used camera market.

CAMERA	RELEASED	DESCRIPTION
Olympus E-3	Nov. 2007	The E-3 is the flagship Olympus digital SLR camera, designed with professional photographers in mind. Advanced amateurs with enough pocket change will benefit from the E-3's 5 photo per second shooting speed, dust control system, built-in image stabilization, live view LCD (that flips out from the camera body and rotates), weather sealing and an ultra-fast 11-point autofocus system. New accessories for the E-3 include the HLD-4 battery grip (for longer shooting) and two new flash units (FL-50R and FL-36R) that can be activated wirelessly from the E-3's main flash.
Olympus E-510	July 2007	The Olympus E-510 was the first digital SLR camera to include a triad of useful features: dust control, built-in image stabilization and a live view LCD. While other cameras at the time only had one or two of these features, the E-510 was the first to provide all three.
Olympus E-420	May 2008	The E-420 is one of the smallest and lightest digital SLR cameras you can buy. This is especially true when you pair the camera with a 25mm f/2.8 "pancake" lens. Despite its compact size, the E-420 includes a dust control system, live view LCD, face detection autofocus and expanded dynamic range.
Olympus E-520	July 2008	Available one year later than the highly regarded E-510, the E-520 builds on the features that were popular in the first generation of this camera: dust control, a live view LCD screen and built-in image stabilization. The improvements that the E-520 makes over its predecessor include enhanced live view, face detection autofocus, and the ability to increase shadow brightness in high-contrast images.