Olympus E-PL1

With the E-PL1, Olympus has introduced a more affordable entry-level Micro Four Thirds Digital Interchangeable Lens (DIL) camera for those who desire a DSLR experience and quality in a compact, lightweight and more consumer-friendly body. The Olympus E-PL1 has in fact blurred the lines between the mirrorless DSLR and the compact digicam with large sensor. It is not an upgrade of the E-P1 / E-P2, but a cheaper version (albeit with more features, as is usually the case with each new version of a digital camera) with an easy-to-use Live Guide. Though full exposure flexibility is still available in the form of PASM modes, you’ll have to access them through the Menu.

All previous DIL cameras from Olympus (or Panasonic) have been categorized as DSLRs that have had their mirrors removed (hence the “mirrorless DSLR” attribution). In other words, you are still getting a DSLR-grade camera, except that it does away with the mirror (redundant because of the high resolution display screen and electronic viewfinder). The Olympus E-PL1 seems to be closer to a compact digicam that uses a large image sensor — and can therefore also produce DSLR image quality — without all the external controls that usually characterize a DSLR-grade camera.

The Olympus E-PL1 retains the Micro Four Thirds mount and therefore accepts all the interchangeable lenses its bigger brothers accept. It adds a pop-up flash, dedicated HD Movie button (while removing most of the buttons advanced photographers like to have, i.e. no control dials), and the optional electronic viewfinder VF-2 that was introduced for the E-P2. Otherwise, it basically keeps the functionality of the E-P1 and E-P2.

As we suspected, the size of the Olympus DIL camera is pretty much dictated by the requirements of the Micro Four Thirds lens mount. The E-PL1 has shaved off about 6 mm from the width, added about 2 mm in height, and as much as 5mm in depth (a deeper handgrip). It is difficult to see how much smaller still a DIL camera (whether from Olympus or from Nikon/Canon) can be.

Though the E-PL1′s body design has [unfortunately] veered away from the retro look, it’s more conventional design is nevertheless still quite attractive and comes in 3 different colors: black, blue and silver (aka “champagne gold”). It inexplicably still uses a 2.7-in. LCD at 230k-dot resolution [the LCD quality on a digital camera is the equivalent of the "door closes with a satisfying clunk" test for automobiles] and sadly loses the electronic leveling [a very practical feature to keep the horizon level in your pictures]. On the positive side (though most users targeted by this camera won’t notice), the E-PL1 can remote control up to three R-series flashes for complex lighting — which the E-P1 / E-P2 cannot — and we suspect this feature will quickly find its way into the E-P3.

At CAD $650 [US $600] (with the 14-42mm kit lens), the Olympus E-PL1 is an attractive proposition and is competitively priced against the top consumer compact digital cameras such as the Canon G11 [US $499] that uses a much smaller image sensor and does not accept interchangeable lenses. [In fact, it looks like Olympus is launching a preemptive strike against Nikon and Canon as they will undoubtedly also be introducing compact digicams with large sensors.] The relatively low price, ability to change lenses and DSLR image quality should make the E-PL1 a serious contender for consumers who want to upgrade to a DSLR but now may think twice and settle for an easier-to-use E-PL1.

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OLYMPUS INTRODUCES TWO NEW ULTRA-COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED LENSES

Designed for Any Micro Four Thirds Camera, Including the New PEN E-PL1 Announced Today

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., February 3, 2010 – Olympus today announces two new additions to its Micro Four Thirds™ System lens lineup: the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 9-18mm F4.0-5.6 (35mm equivalent 18–36mm) and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-150mm F4.0-5.6 (35mm equivalent 28–300mm). Designed to maximize the performance advantages of the Micro Four Thirds System, the new lenses are significantly lighter and more compact – easily fitting in a jacket pocket.

The new lenses, made with ED (extra-low dispersion) glass for superior image quality, complement the design of the PEN® cameras, including the powerfully simple E-PL1, also announced today, making it the all-in-one package for consumers with any skill level, including those who are new to photography.

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OLYMPUS DM-4 AND DM-2 DIGITAL AUDIO DEVICES ARE AT YOUR COMMAND TO DELIVER SUPER HIGH-QUALITY RECORDING AND SIMPLE PLAYBACK

Large Colour LCDs, Voice Guidance, Intuitive Menus and Built-in Stereo Mics in Both;
Text to Speech and Voice Recognition Features Included in DM-4

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., February 3, 2010 – Today Olympus unveils two new DM series digital audio devices with large colour LCDs and easy-to-navigate menus for audio recording, editing and playback of podcasts, music, audio books and textbooks. The DM-4 and DM-2 deliver internal memory storage capacity of 8 gigabytes and 4 gigabytes respectively, as well as external microSD compatibility. The DM-4 also offers voice recognition so users can verbally navigate menus with voice commands and set the time and date, as well as create a schedule using only their voice.

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WPPI Announces First-Ever Photographers Ignite Presentations Hosted by Kevin Kubota

Closing program at annual WPPI Convention and Trade Show takes place Thursday, March 11, 2010

Culver City, CA (PRWEB) February 3, 2010 — Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) is pleased to announce that the first-ever Photographers Ignite presentations will take place on Thursday, March 11th from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.

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Nikon Coolpix P100

Nikon Canada Introduces Spring 2010 COOLPIX Digital Cameras, Featuring Superior Performance, Stylish Design and Innovative Technology

Nikon continues to lead in innovation with CMOS Image Sensor, Super Zoom and HD Movie capabilities, with new models available in a broad range of colours

Mississauga, ON, February 2, 2010 – Nikon Canada today introduced eight new COOLPIX cameras to its popular line-up of compact digital cameras, including one Performance-series, four Style-series and three Life-series cameras. Nikon continues to lead innovation in the ever-evolving categories of compact digital cameras as demonstrated with the introduction of a CMOS sensor and 26x optical zoom lens into its flagship Performance-series COOLPIX P100. Nikon has also equipped five of its new COOLPIX cameras across all three series with HD movie capabilities, making creating and sharing memories fun and easy. Elegantly designed compact cameras in vibrant must-have colours to suit personal style are a hallmark of the COOLPIX line, including the new COOLPIX S8000, COOLPIX S6000, COOLPIX S4000, COOLPIX S3000, COOLPIX L22 and COOLPIX L21. Additionally, the new COOLPIX L110 offers 15x super zoom and HD video recording with stereo sound and easy shooting versatility.

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